


I Howl When We're Apart

by Modog34



Series: Howl series [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Canon-Typical Violence, Dubious Consent, F/M, Female Stiles Stilinski, Fluff and Angst, Full Shift Werewolves, Kidnapping, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Mates, Rating May Change, Reunions, whose name is stella
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 44,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24727873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Modog34/pseuds/Modog34
Summary: Derek Hale is fifteen when he meets his mate. He's also fifteen when he loses them.Stella Stilinski was nine when she lost her mom. She was ten when she was kidnapped.Thinking his mate dead, Derek goes through the motions of his life. But there's something inside him that says she may not be gone after all.Stella gets through her captivity by taking things day by day. She has her werewolf friends, and a new guard named Chris who's not so bad. She's been planning their escape from the Argents for years, and she'll need to figure out how to use her spark to make it happen. The black wolf that keeps her company in her dreams might just have the answer she needs.
Relationships: Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Claudia Stilinski/Sheriff Stilinski, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Laura Hale/Jordan Parrish, Melissa McCall/Sheriff Stilinski, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes
Series: Howl series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787956
Comments: 36
Kudos: 272





	1. Chpt. 1

**Author's Note:**

> These first couple of chapters are probably going to be the background story. Stella is 9 and Derek is 15 at the start of the fic, but it will time skip. If there are any triggering things happening in a chapter, I'll post a warning about it. This is my first fic for the Teen Wolf fandom, and I hope you guys enjoy it!

Derek was fifteen when he caught the scent for the first time. He had been walking through the park with Paige. They held hands the whole time, and every time the wind blew, he caught a whiff of her rose and ivy scent. It was pleasant to both him and his wolf. Calming, even. Her long brown hair and dark eyes, contrasted against her fair skin, made her beautiful. She was smart, played the cello, and didn’t put up with his bullshit. He was smitten the moment he met her. He thought for sure that she was the one. 

Paige had excused herself to the restroom, as Derek waited on a nearby bench. The air was crisp and cool, and the sky was clear. It was a beautiful day. He closed his eyes and breathed the spring air in deeply. Then he smelled it. 

Ozone and electricity. Honeysuckles and juniper. 

His wolf came to life inside of him, scratching to get out. He felt his eyes burn, and knew they were golden. His gums itched with the need to bare his fangs, and his claws were growing out. He closed his eyes and tried not to panic.  _ Alpha, Beta, Omega. Alpha, Beta, Omega.  _

The mantra wasn’t working! He had to get out of there. There were too many people around and his senses went haywire. He could hear children’s laughter, hear the screeching of a swing chain as it went back and forth. The pea gravel crunching, volleyballs being hit, a car engine revving, and dogs barking. He could smell dirt, the nearby trash can, exhaust fumes from a truck that had just passed. It was overwhelming.

He ran and hid behind a nearby tree. He pulled his phone out, trying desperately to press the speed dial button with his clawed finger. It wouldn’t work! He was about to crush the phone in his hand out of frustration, when it started ringing. He managed to answer it, and was relieved to hear his mother’s voice on the other end. 

“Derek! What’s happening? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” he gritted out. “I can’t control my shift.”

“Where are you? I’m coming to get you.”

“Ashbury park.” 

“I’m on my way, honey. Are you somewhere away from humans? If you’re not, I need you to find a place where they can’t see you.” A pause. “Derek?”

“I’m here. I’m behind a tree. I don’t think they can see me.”

“Alright, love. Stay on the phone and repeat after me. Alpha, Beta, Omega.”

“I tried that. It didn’t work.” He was getting frustrated again, his wolf side clamouring to shift and chase the scent. 

“Try again,” Talia said, using her Alpha voice. Derek’s wolf settled, but not enough. They repeated the mantra at least a dozen times. It wasn’t calming him down, but he wasn’t getting worse, either. 

“Derek?” Paige called out. 

_ Shit!  _ He had forgotten about her. How could he forget about his own girlfriend?

“Derek?” Paige called again, looking around for him. 

He saw his mother’s car turning down the road, and ran for it. 

“Derek! Where are you going?” Paige yelled after him. She sounded confused and maybe a little hurt. He hated leaving her like this. Still, he wrenched open the door and climbed in, bracing his clawed hands on the dashboard. He breathed in the scent of his mother and Alpha. His wolf whined the further they drove from the park, but eventually relented and he was able to shift back. 

“How did you know?” he asked. 

“I’m your mother,” Talia said with a smile. “And your Alpha. I could feel it resonate through the bond. Laura and your father tried calling you, too. They were in a panic when you didn’t answer.”

“Did you tell them I was with you?” 

“I told them I was on my way to you, and I would let them know what happened.” She pulled out of traffic and stopped the car on the side of the road. Talia undid her seatbelt and turned to him. “So what happened, love?” 

“I don’t know. I was with Paige, and everything was fine. Then I smelled this scent on the wind, and I just....lost it.”

Talia was quiet for a minute, and Derek leaned his head back against the headrest. 

“What did this scent smell like?” His mother asked softly.

“Magic,” he answered immediately. 

“Electricity?”

“Yeah. And honeysuckles. Juniper berries.”

“Did you know who it came from? Did you see or sense anything suspicious?”

He met her gaze. “No. No one was following us, or paying too much attention to us. It was mostly kids nearby.”

She nodded. “Did Paige see you shift?”

Derek’s heartbeat quickened. 

“I completely forgot about her. Again!”

“Again?”

“When I started to lose control, I ran. You called and I waited. I completely forgot that I was there with her, until she started calling out my name.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. The keys were scratched from his claws, but still worked. He had four missed calls and seven texts, all from Paige. He groaned.

“What am I going to tell her?”

“Tell her there was a family emergency. It’s not really a lie. She’s a nice girl, she’ll understand.” 

“What am I going to do if I smell that scent again? I can’t just avoid going into town.” 

“It’s okay, love,” Talia said, petting his hair. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

He nodded in agreement, and with a lump in his throat, texted Paige back. 

Talia parked on the curb outside of the house. She noticed the two cars parked in the driveway. One a blue jeep, and the other a police car. She got out of her vehicle and walked into the yard, feeling a tingling rise from her feet to her head. She stood still and let the magic do it’s work. Eventually, it stopped and she walked to the front porch. The door opened before she even reached it. 

“Evening, Talia.” A woman with long brown hair and green eyes stood at the door. She had an oval shaped face with a kind smile. 

“Evening, Claudia. I see your wards are as strong as ever.”

“You can never be too careful these days.”

“Indeed. No matter how many times I pass through, they still give me goosebumps.” Talia reached forward and hugged her friend. She could smell the sickness, stronger than last time. It saddened her deeply. 

“Enough of the sniffing, Tal. I’m fine.”

Talia gave her a knowing look. Claudia rolled her eyes.

“Alright. I’m as fine as I can be given the circumstances.”

“That’s better. The truth will set you free.”

“Oh, shut up.” Claudia said, stepping out of the doorway and gesturing for Talia to come in. 

She had always liked the Stilinski’s house, the few times she had been in it. It was a decent size for their family, clean but obviously lived in. The knitted quilt on the back of the couch and the pictures on the walls made it homey, and the sweet, strawberry-like scent of pure love permeated the air. She didn’t want to think about the sour scent of grief that would join it in the coming months. 

“Why are you here, Tal? Our bi-weekly lunch date isn’t until Thursday.” 

“I was hoping we could move it up. There’s something important we need to discuss.”

Claudia’s gentle smile fell off her face and her posture straightened. She was all business now. 

“What happened?” she demanded.

“It’s not like that. No one is hurt. I said it was important, I never said it was bad.”

“Good news, then? We should celebrate.” Claudia said sardonically, her shoulders relaxing slightly. She went to the kitchen as Talia followed. 

“You jest, but we may have cause for a celebration. I believe Derek may have found his mate.”

Claudia smiled brightly at that as she handed her a cup of coffee. “The Krasikeva girl? It’s about time. It’s been months now, hasn’t it? She’s a very sweet girl. I had her in choir last year. Can’t carry a tune vocally, but she’s very gifted with the cello.”

“Yes. We saw her at the school talent show a few weeks ago. She was good. And I do like Paige, she has a very gentle nature. And she’s been good for Derek, but it’s not her.”

“Oh, boy. Drama. I love it.” Claudia’s heart was steady as she said, and it made Talia laugh. 

“You would. You always did like those awful soap operas and telenovelas.”

“They’re good for a laugh.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, just sitting in comfortable silence and sipping on their coffees. 

“Why are you here, Talia?”

“Stella,” Talia answered, noticing the stiffening of her friend’s shoulders. “I know you don’t want her involved with the pack, and I have always respected that decision. And I will continue to do so.”

“We’ve talked about this. It’s not that I don’t want her to join your pack, I just want it to be her choice. And right now she’s not old enough to make that choice. And it’s still so dangerous for us. No one outside of this house knows that she might be like me, besides you and Alan. Joining your pack would just put you all more at risk.”

Talia rested her hand on Claudia’s. “I know you have nothing against the pack. I understand your concerns. But as a mother, I have my concerns as well. Derek lost control today at the park.”

Claudia startled. “Did anyone-”

“No, I don’t think so. He hid, and Jordan hasn’t had any weird calls to the station. But he lost control when he caught a scent. Was Stella at the park today?”

“I’m not sure. She’s spending the night with her friend Scott. His mother may have taken them.”

“He said it smelled like magic, Claud. The only person in this town that does magic, aside from Alan, is you. And Stella, if she’s like you.” Claudia looked at her with concern in her eyes.

“She’s  _ nine _ .” 

“I know.” Talia agreed. What else could she say?

“She’s too young to understand mates.”

“Yes.”

“Does Derek even know?”

“No, not yet. I’ll tell him what it means tonight, if he doesn’t figure it out by then. He’s going to be upset. He’s crazy about Paige. He’s never said it out loud, but I know he was thinking that she could be his mate.” 

“Don’t tell him it’s her. He won’t be able to stay away.”

“Would that be such a bad thing? He would protect her.  _ Fiercely _ .”

“No!” Claudia slammed her hand on the counter and all the lights flickered. The hairs on the back of Talia’s neck stood up, but she refused to look away. She was the Alpha of this territory, and she knew Claudia wouldn’t actually hurt her. 

“I’m sorry. I just...I don’t have much time left with her. There’s so much I have to teach her and in such a short amount of time. I don’t want this to be another thing on that list. Not right now.” She looked at Talia pleadingly. “Please, Tal. You can tell him what it means, but don’t tell him it’s her. Not yet.”

“I’m not going to lie to my pup. If he asks me if I know who it is, I will tell him,” she said firmly. “But if he doesn’t ask, I won’t offer up the information. That doesn’t mean he won’t try to find out on his own. My boy is good at tracking.” 

“I understand. I don’t know Derek well, I know we agreed not to give out too much information on our families. But from what I do know, he seems like a good boy. I know you wouldn’t raise him as any less. I’m not saying no forever, just not right now.”

“Alright,” Talia patted her hand. “Alright.”

Telling Derek that he had caught the scent of his mate was a short conversation. He had mostly figured it out on his own. He had been with Laura when she had smelled Jordan’s scent for the first time when she was seventeen. Keeping her away from him was a full time job. She hoped Derek would be easier. 

“What about Paige? I can’t be with her now, can I?”

“Of course you can, love. She may not be your mate, but the two of you are compatible.”

“I just...I like her so much. She’s smart and funny and pretty.” He flopped back on his bed. “And I don’t even know who this other person is.”

Talia kept her heartbeat steady. She didn’t like this. She was essentially lying by omission. And it hadn’t escaped her notice that all the qualities he liked in Paige were present in Stella as well. They even looked similar. She hadn’t interacted with Stella, but she had seen her, and heard stories about her from Cora. She had long dark brown hair, dark green eyes, and fair skin. According to Cora, she was the second smartest person in their class, just behind that Martin girl, and she always defended her friends Scott and Erica when they were being bullied. 

“You should stay with Paige. Test the waters. See how you feel now that things are a little different.”

Derek nodded absentmindedly, still staring at the ceiling. 


	2. Chpt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains dubious consent. Kate Argent is an adult when she seduces and sleeps with a 15 year old Derek. It's not really and explicit scene, and I marked the beginning of it with an *. If it's a trigger for you, you can skip it and you won't miss any of the main story.

Months had passed, and Claudia was getting increasingly sicker. It had gotten to the point where it was starting to become noticeable, and she finally told John about it. Jordan said he had taken off work for two weeks to stay with her. The few visits she had with her friend were sad ones. Talia could see her deteriorating before her eyes. Each time Claudia lost more weight, had become more confused and forgetful. One time, she had forgotten to meet her for lunch and when Talia came to her house to check on her, Claudia had no idea who she was. 

That night, after she drove home, she ran in the woods for hours in her wolf form. She transformed back for a little while, and just cried. 

Talia hated hospitals. The beeping noises and the sterile smells grated on her nerves. She had no idea how Laura could stand shadowing the doctors here. When she was accepted into med school, it didn’t come as a surprise. She was a smart and determined girl. But it was unusual for werewolves to go into the medical field, for these exact reasons. Talia resisted the urge to plug her nose, and instead kept smelling the tulips she was carrying. 

When she reached room 504, the door was already cracked open. She entered quietly, and sat the flowers down on a nearby side table. There were dozens of gifts there, from flowers and stuffed animals, to balloons and get well cards that the kids in her classes had drawn. John was sleeping sounding on the small sofa, contorted in a way that did not look comfortable. But Claudia was wide awake, eyes shining brightly. She seemed lucid and aware. 

“Hello, my friend.”

“Hey, Tal.” 

For someone who once had so much power, she looked so frail. She was skin and bones now, since she often forgot to eat. The IV was a steady drip, and the heart monitor had an equally as steady beep. 

“How have you been feeling?” she asked, as she sat down on the side of the bed and held Claudia’s hand.

“Better today. I actually remembered the doctor’s name.” Claudia smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

“I just...are you sure you don’t want the bite?”

“Talia, we’ve talked about this. Over and over and over. It’s my choice. We don’t know what the bite would do to someone like me, and there’s no guarantee it would save me. This isn’t a normal illness. You know that.”

“I know.” 

They sat there for a while, just chatting over little things, and laughing quietly at John’s loud snoring. 

“I should be heading back to work now. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer.”

“It’s alright. You have a lot of responsibilities, Mayor Hale.” She grinned, and for a moment Talia could see a piece of the old Claudia. “I need you to promise you’ll look after them, Tal. John’s been drinking more lately. He thinks I haven’t noticed but I have. He’s a good man, and I don’t want his grief to consume him.”

“I promise I’ll keep an eye on him. I’ll have Jordan bring food to the station for him, too. Healthy stuff that he’ll hate.”

“God knows the man can’t cook,” she laughed, but it was sad and watery. “He could burn water. And Stella. My baby girl.” She covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking with the effort not to sob out loud and wake John. 

Talia had never felt so powerless. 

After a few moments, she pulled herself together. “Stella,” she sniffled. “She  _ is _ like me, might be even more powerful than me someday. I appreciate that you’ve never outright asked if she was, but I know you assumed. I’ve taught her a lot. How to read auras, how to cast minor spells involving candles and crystals, how to identify plants. Just the basics. Alan will have to teach her what he can.”

“I’ll make sure he does. We’ll do everything we can to help her.”

“Her magic...might not be stable after I’m gone. I think she uses me as an anchor. That’s not a good thing. I tried explaining that to her, but she’s stubborn.”

“Gee, I wonder who she got that from?”

“Her father.” Claudia mocked glared at her. “You should tell him. Derek. He could help her, guide her. Maybe he could be her anchor.”

“I will, one day soon. I promise I’ll do what I can to protect both of them.”

“Thank you, Talia.”

She leaned over and gave her friend a hug. It was the last one she would ever give her. 

Stella ran and ran and ran. Her little legs moved as fast as they could. It didn’t help the ache in her chest, or the cold of the rain on her skin. She finally stopped and put her hands on her knees, gasping for breath in between her sobs. She wasn’t sure if the droplets on her cheeks were tears or rain. It didn’t matter. The sky felt like she felt. Mama had told her the earth could understand their emotions sometimes. Not that she had a mama anymore. 

She knew something was wrong when she was called out of class and that new cop Parrish looked at her with that smile.  _ That _ smile that everyone had been giving her since they found out her mom was sick. Like pity, sympathy, and false sadness all rolled into one. Adults always thought that kids couldn’t pick up on things like that, but Stella was smart. Stella was unique. Stella had a  _ spark _ .

And now Stella was all alone. 

She didn’t want to be alone, so when her mama wasn’t her mama anymore, when she wasn’t anything anymore, she ran. She ran to her friend Erica’s house, since it was closest to the hospital. Erica had epilepsy, so they moved close to her doctor in case she got sick. It was cold and raining, and it was getting dark outside. She didn’t care, she had always liked the nighttime. Darkness didn’t scare her. Death did. 

She ran to the side of the house and tapped on Erica’s window. She opened it, took one look at Stella, and said, “I’m sorry.” Erica sounded like she meant it. That’s why she liked her so much, she was always honest. “Do you want to come in?”

“No. I want to go away,” she looked at Erica pleadingly. “Will you come with me?”

Erica looked like she wanted to say no, and like she wanted to say yes. Erica liked adventures but she didn’t want to make her parents mad. Still, she knew her friend needed her, so she shrugged and said, “Okay.”

She slipped out of the window, took Stella’s hand, and they started running. They ran for so long that when they stopped, they weren’t really sure where they were. 

If she couldn’t find her way back then oh, well. Maybe it would be a good thing if she were lost. Maybe her dad wouldn’t drink so much. Maybe Mrs. McCall would stop lying to her and telling her that everything would be okay. Maybe she wouldn’t feel all this  _ sadness _ if she didn’t go back home, where she saw and felt her mama everywhere. 

“Maybe we should go back. It’s getting really dark now.”

Stella didn’t want to go back, but she also didn’t want Erica to get in trouble. 

“Okay. But we’re walking this time. My legs feel like jelly.”

“Mine, too.” Erica laughed. 

They turned around and started walking, when they saw headlights pierce through the rain. The van was coming towards them, and they had to cover their eyes from the brightness. The van slowed to a stop, and a woman got out. She was tall and pale, with light blue eyes and short red hair. She walked over to them, and smiled in a way that she probably thought was comforting. 

It wasn’t. It creeped Stella out. She thought this lady looked scary. She felt Erica grip her hand. Apparently, she thought so, too. 

“Are you lost?” The lady asked.

Stella shook her head immediately. “No.”

“Where are your parents?”

“Around.” 

The lady’s eyes narrowed. “Where do you girls live? I'll take you home.”

“We’re not supposed to talk to strangers. Stranger danger,” Erica said, repeating what Stella’s dad had told her class when he came to the school one day. 

“And that’s very smart,” the lady said. Stella thought it sounded condescending. “My name is Victoria. There! Now we’re not strangers,” she smiled tightly. 

Something about this lady was off. Mama had taught her some tricks, like reading auras on people. This lady had a gray aura, and Stella had never seen that before. She didn’t know what it meant, but she knew it wasn’t good.  _ Blue _ auras were good, like the one her dad had. 

“Get in the van, girls. I’ll take you home,” Victoria repeated, stepping closer. 

“No, thanks,” she said. “My dad’s coming to pick us up. He’s a deputy. He’ll be here any minute.”

Instead of scaring the lady away like she hoped it would, the lady smiled. It made her look even creepier. 

“Ah, so you are Stella, then?”

She got a chill. How did this weird lady know her name? Erica’s grip on her hand tightened. 

Two other people, one man and one woman, opened the side door and climbed out. The girls started to back away. Victoria frowned, and reached for Stella’s arm. She yanked it back and yelled, “Run!”

The girls ran as fast as they could, but they were tired and the bad people were faster. One grabbed Stella off her feet and she screamed. Erica kept going and didn’t look back, as someone chased her down the street. 

“Help! Help!” she yelled as loud as she could. The bad person put their hand over her mouth.

“Shut up, you little brat!” It was a man’s voice. 

“Get her in the car,” yelled Victoria. He threw her in the van and climbed in behind her, blocking her way out. He slid the door shut and Victoria drove them away. 

She was so scared. Who were these people? What were they going to do? Did Erica get away? She hoped she got away.

She crawled into a corner as they drove, putting her arms around her knees. She was still wet and cold, even though the van was warm. A phone rang and Victoria answered. 

“Help!” she started screaming, hoping whoever was on the other end could hear her. The man beside her just laughed. 

“Yes, that’s her,” Victoria said into the phone. “She was with a friend. No, Georgia caught her. What should we do with her?”

Stella heard raced. They got Erica. 

“Alright. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. I understand.” The call ended and the van slowed down. The door was flung open, and the woman tossed Erica inside. She was crying, and her knees were bloody like she scraped them on the concrete. The woman slammed the door shut and climbed into the passenger seat. 

“That little brat bit me,” she said, holding her arm and glaring at Erica in the mirror. 

Erica stuck out her tongue and said, “You deserved it, hag!”

“Yeah!” she agreed. 

Stella wasn’t even sure what a hag was, but she knew it was an insult and that was good enough for her. 

The man beside them laughed again. “Bested by a couple of rugrats, Georgia. I expected more from such an experienced hunter like yourself. Tsk tsk tsk.”

“Shut your fucking mouth, Jeremy!” 

“Enough!” yelled Victoria. Erica crawled over to her and they huddled together. 

The ride was quiet after that. 

It had been a few months since Derek found out he had a mate that it wasn’t Paige. He kept going out with her for three more months. He was devoted to his girlfriend,  _ loved _ her even, but he just couldn’t get that scent out of his head. Paige noticed sometimes when he would stare out into the distance. She would ask him what was wrong and he would tell her it was nothing, then she would give him this  _ look _ . 

When he wasn’t at school or with Paige, he was at the park. He waited for the scent to come back. His wolf craved it. But he never smelled it again. So, he started to branch out. One time he caught a whiff of it in the grocery store and had to run to the bathroom for twenty minutes while Laura talked to him through the door. He thought about asking his mom if maybe she knew, but he figured she would have told him if she did. 

Eventually, he and Paige broke up. She was sad and confused as to why, and asked him if it was because he liked someone else more. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t tell her the truth, either. 

He said, “It’s complicated.” She accepted that and walked back to her car. He could hear her sniffling and he hated that he was the one to cause her to cry. 

That night was spent out in the woods, in his full shift form. Things were so much simpler to his wolf. His mom had joined him out there. She had been melancholy lately. Dad said it was because she had a friend who was sick and didn’t have long left. They ran together through the woods for hours. 

Things were okay for a while. His wolf was restless, and Derek still tried to find the person that scent belonged to. He got close one day, when he picked Cora up from school. He could smell it in the hallway, and thought it might be a teacher. He followed it to a classroom, but the room was empty except for one person. She was tall and thin, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She appeared to be in her mid-20s, and was very pretty.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Um...no.” He said awkwardly.  _ Oh, god. He was such a geek.  _

The lady just smiled and walked over to him, standing close. “I’m Kate Argent. I’m the substitute for this class. Who are you?”

“Derek Hale,” he cleared his throat. She looked him up and down, checking him out and not even bothering to be subtle about it, as she twirled her hair around her finger. He was used to pretty girls flirting with him, he was  _ not _ used to sexy women flirting with him.

“Well, Derek Hale, what are you doing here?”

“I’m...I was just picking up my little sister.”

“Well, aren’t you sweet.” Her voice had a combination of sincerity and mocking in it. He wasn’t really sure what to do. He could faintly smell his mate, knew the scent was coming from this room, but it wasn’t coming from this woman, this Kate. 

Still, the combination of his mate’s scent and the coppery smell of lust coming off the woman was confusing his wolf. He excused himself before he started wolfing out. At home, when he was lying in his bed at night, he thought of Kate. 

It was the first night where he didn’t stay up late thinking about who his mate was or where they were. He could only assume they were a child now, someone his sister’s age, and he didn’t like the feeling that gave him. And he didn’t like thinking about how he had hurt Paige, who was nothing but good to him. But Kate was an attractive older woman who seemed to like him. His friends would be so jealous. 

He picked Cora up a lot after that. 

*********

The first time they had sex, it didn’t feel right. Sure, it had felt  _ good _ , pleasure always did, but it wasn’t  _ right _ . He had thought his first time would be with Paige. Since they were both virgins, neither of them would’ve known what they were doing, so they could learn together. Instead, his first time was in a hotel room that smelled like stale cigarette smoke and other people. And it was with a much more experienced woman. He felt okay when they were making out, it was familiar territory, but once the clothes came off he felt nervous and awkward. He wasn’t sure what to do with his hands. Kate had taken the lead, basically using his body as a tool for her own pleasure. After, as they lay there sweaty and catching their breaths, his wolf grumbled. 

“ _ That _ was fun,” she said, grinning salaciously.

“Yeah,” he said. He wasn’t sure he agreed, but he didn’t want her to know that. His chest started to feel heavy, but he wasn’t sure what it meant. 

“That was my favorite position,” Kate told him. She leaned over and kissed him deeply before climbing on top of him. “But I’d like to try another one. Are you ready for round two, lover?”

He wasn’t ready. He really wasn’t. He was actually resisting the urge to run away. But what kind of fifteen year old boy would say no to a hot, naked woman on top of them? So, he ignored the feeling of wrongness, and the grumbling of his wolf, and said, “Yes.”


	3. Chpt. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No new warnings apply. Derek finds out who his mate is. Chris and Gerard enter the picture.

It happened three weeks after the two girls went missing. Deputy Stilinski, who had just lost his wife, led the search party. Charles and Jill Reyes took to the media, pleading with the kidnappers not to hurt their children. It was painful to watch. The whole pack, human members included, did what they could to help out. Derek couldn’t figure out why his mom wouldn’t let him track with them because he was pretty good at it. Instead, she insisted he do other tasks, like babysitting his siblings while the adults were out searching, or helping Parrish prepare meals for the police department. Nothing changed. Even with their heightened senses and tracking abilities, they didn’t find much. It was raining the night the girls had been taken, and had washed away their scents. 

Deputy Stilinksi didn’t give up, insisting his daughter was still alive. Being in law enforcement, he must have known the first 48 hours were crucial. Nobody had the heart to tell him that they weren’t looking for missing girls anymore, they were looking for their bodies. Parrish did what he could, making sure he ate and rested, but he just kept going. 

The Reyes family, on the other hand, had given up hope completely. Mr. Reyes had gone back to work at the insurance firm like nothing happened. Mrs. Reyes, a homemaker, joined a book club, started doing pilates, took a cooking class, and about a dozen other things to keep her occupied now that she didn’t have a daughter to look after. Derek wasn’t sure which was worse, holding onto hope in a hopeless situation, or having no hope at all. 

  
  


He was outside wrestling with Cora. Laura was nearby, watching their baby sister Jess. Once she had figured out how to crawl, she never stopped. Everything was fine, normal. The sun was shining brightly, and his wolf was content. Then he felt a snap in his chest, like a bond breaking. He fell to the ground howling in pain. 

“Get up, Derek.” Cora laughed, thinking he was just playing around. Laura, on the other hand, knew something was wrong. She rushed over and handed Jess to a confused Cora, and knelt down beside him. She was saying something, but he couldn’t make it out. His chest hurt so bad, and he was having trouble breathing. He felt like he had been hit with a wrecking ball. 

“Derek? Derek!” He heard Laura scream. “Mom’s coming, okay? Just hold on.”

Jess was crying in the background, sensing the distress. It felt like forever had passed before his mom knelt down beside him and took his face in her hands. She had this look of sorrow that Derek had never seen her express before. 

“What’s...happening?” he gasped out. 

“Laura, take everyone inside.”

“But-”

“Laura! Go!” she growled. She never growled at her children, especially Laura. She heeded her alpha’s demand and ushered the girls inside. Once they were alone, she whispered, “I’m so, so sorry, love.”

“What is this?” he asked, but a part of him instinctively knew what it meant. He hoped to any higher power listening that it wasn’t what he thought. 

“This is what it feels like to lose a mate,” his Uncle Peter said soberly. He knelt down and rested his hand on Derek’s back, a warm weight. 

Derek looked between Peter and his mother. They had to be wrong. He couldn’t lose his mate before he even found them! His hands were shaking. His whole  _ body _ was shaking. He was vibrating out of his skin. 

“They’re gone?” He didn’t want them to say it, but he needed to hear it. 

Peter nodded his head solemnly, “Yes, nephew. They’re gone.”

His sight drifted out of focus, and his body contorted, completely out of his control. 

  
  


When Derek came to several days later, he didn’t remember much. Laura was sitting at the edge of his bed, holding his hand. She said that he had done a full shift and stayed in the woods for a whole week. 

“I was so scared, Der. You know we’re not supposed to stay shifted that long. That we could lose ourselves in the wolf. I thought that’s what happened. I thought I had lost you.” A tear rolled down her cheek. Laura never cried. She panicked, she fumed, she sulked, but she never  _ cried _ . He held her hand tightly. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, and he meant it. He was sorry that he had scared her, but wasn’t sorry that he had been gone. He wanted to stay gone, to escape this ache in his chest that he knew would never completely go away. 

He stayed home from school that week. And the next. His mom told the school he caught pneumonia. In the spring. He knew they wouldn’t buy it, but Laura convinced one of the doctors she was interning under to write him an excuse. He felt like a shadow or a ghost. There, but not really  _ there _ . Hollow and see-through. Mostly, he just slept. 

He was asleep on the couch when the banging on the front door woke him. He heard his dad moving around upstairs, so he called out, “I’ll get it.”

He opened the door and came face to face with Deputy Stilinski. He reeked of alcohol, but underneath that... Derek stopped cold. The scent. His mates scent. This man had it. He felt his eyes blaze, holding no concern about this human seeing him shift. It didn’t matter. If he had been paying attention, he would’ve noticed the lack of surprise on the man’s face. But all he could focus on was the t-shirt in his hand. 

He snatched it from him and held it up to his face. His wolf settled for the first time in weeks. 

“You didn’t know?” Deputy Stilinski asked, surprise coloring his voice. 

“Know…” he repeated, still sniffing the shirt. It took him a minute because his mind was hazy, but his confusion eventually cleared. That’s when he realized that this man’s daughter was his mate. 

  
  
  


Turning down the narrow dirt road, Chris Argent gazed at the Victorian style home. It was painted a light grey, with lavender accents. The chimney, the shutters, and the swing on the front porch made it look homey. Anybody passing by might see it and think a lovely family lived there, or maybe an elderly couple that had retired. In reality, it was full of hunters. Making the turnoff by the house, he drove down about a mile farther before pulling to a stop and cutting the engine. The wrought iron fence that surrounded a series of metal storage buildings made a stark contrast to the quaint house. Everything was modern, gray and cold. 

His father had told him that he and his sister had been working on a project together for some time now. Instead of feeling left out, he was  _ grateful _ he didn’t have to spend any more time around them than necessary. His father had called him up out of the blue, suggesting that he visit so they could finally bring him in on their project. He was already dreading being here. 

“Ah, Christopher.” Gerard met him at the fence to let him in, and placed a hand on his shoulder. “My son, come to join the family business at last.”

“I came here because you asked me to.”

“Yes, and you followed my orders like a good soldier. That’s why I know you’re going to like it here. We call the compound the Armory. Let me give you a tour.” 

They walked down a gravel filled path to the line of storage buildings. There were two hunters posted at the front of each one, and it looked like there were some behind it as well. They walked up to the first unit, and the two guards gave them their full attention. 

“Hello, gentlemen. Have you met my son, Christopher?”

The two men nodded at him in acknowledgement, but didn’t bother to introduce themselves. Apparently, Gerard didn’t feel like it was important either, seeing as how he walked right past them to the thick metal door of the first unit. To the side of it, there was a small, rectangular screen with a keypad below it. Gerard pressed his hand against the screen and held it there as a green light scanned it. A red light came on with a small beep, and he typed in a code. Chris could hear bolts moving around on the inside, and the door lifted up in the same way his garage door at home did. It was dimly lit inside as they walked in. Gerard flicked a switch to his right, and more lights came on. Now that the room was illuminated, he could see everything. He really wished he couldn’t.

Inside were four people, chains connecting them to the walls and ground. They didn’t give much leeway, and while the room wasn’t small, it didn’t seem big enough for four people to live in it comfortably. They were all male, and only one of them could be considered an adult. The others were teenagers. Two of them looked up with matching golden eyes. 

“Werewolves.” 

“Yes, very observant,” Gerard replied sarcastically. “Only two of them are werewolves. The other two are wendigos.”

“You captured wendigos?” One of the first things a hunter learns about wendigos is that you kill them first, ask questions later. They were fast and their teeth were lethal. Wendigos were hard enough to kill, but to capture one was unheard of. And his father captured two. 

“Why are they here? Why didn’t you kill them?” He tried not to let the suspicion in his voice be noticeable. He was disturbed that the four prisoners didn’t seem to pay attention to them at all. 

Gerard didn’t answer. Instead he said,” Come, my son. There are many more stops on this tour.”

The following units were much the same on the inside, cramped and dim. There were at least three people to each one. Werewolves, werecoyotes, and wendigos. Chimeras, banshees, and even vampires. The list went on and on. 

One thing they all had in common was the metal collars around their necks. 

When they reached the last unit, this one with five guards out front, his father stopped. “This one is special. A diamond in the rough, and very gifted. We’ve used her talents on many occasions. Still, I must warn you. Though she may seem harmless, you mustn’t be fooled. She can be quite dangerous.”

Intrigued and alert, he nodded. After scanning his hand and typing the code in, the door opened slower than the rest. Chris noticed the guards behind them tensing up and cocking their guns. 

A young girl, maybe sixteen at most, was inside. She laid on a twin sized bed, holding up a copy of The Catcher in the Rye. Her ankles were crossed and she was biting her lip. She didn’t even look up from her book when she spoke. 

“What’s up, new guy? I’m Stella.”


	4. Chpt. 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris learns some things about the Armory. We find out what Derek's life has been like since he lost his mate.

Over the course of the following weeks, Chris had learned a lot about the Armory, and his father’s  _ project _ . He offered to put himself on the rotation schedule to guard the supernaturals, just to have something to do, something to keep him away from Gerard. 

He got to know some of the guards, like O’neill and Miller. He wasn’t impressed with any of them, but forced himself to contribute to their idle chatter. Chris also learned more about their prisoners. One of the werewolves in the first unit was named Isaac. He was sixteen and quiet, and was skittish around Miller more so than the rest of the guards. 

At the moment, he and Miller were walking along the edge of a pond about half a mile away from the units. The wendigo they were watching was sitting at the edge, staring up at the sky. 

When Chris realized that they brought the creatures out of the units sometimes, he balked at the idea. “They can just roam around?” He’d asked. “What happens if they attack someone, or if they try to escape?”

Miller had laughed like he had never heard anything more ridiculous. “They can try. Almost all of them have, actually. The collars keep them in line.” 

“I’ve been meaning to ask about those,” he said. And he had asked his father the night before, but Gerard was being even more secretive than usual and had deflected the question. “Does it administer sedatives, or shock them?” Chris didn’t really like either of those ideas. Most of the monsters here were young, and seemed docile enough. 

“Nah. It’s something else.”

“Such as?”

“Well, no one really knows for sure. Apparently, us grunts don’t have high enough clearance or some shit,” Miller answered bitterly. “But most of us think it’s magic of some sort.”

The answer surprised him, but it did make sense. Most of the captives here would be strong enough to break their collars, but they obviously hadn’t. If they were bound by magic, then they couldn’t. 

“You don’t have to worry. There’s a system we stick to, keeps everyone in line. They behave themselves, do as they’re told, and they get rewarded with things like outside time, three square meals, books and shit. If they act out, try to attack or escape, they get punished.”

“What’s the punishment?” asked Chris, though he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know. 

Miller leered. “Depends on who and  _ what _ they are. Also depends on your sister’s mood. She’s the one that decides the punishments most of the time.”

“I see.” Punishment, indeed. His sister had a devious, and creative, mind. Gerard  _ would _ put her in charge of that particular role. She was practically born for it. 

The beeper on Miller’s watch went off, and he yelled, “Kenny, time to go, freak!”

The wendigo-Kenny-sent a poisonous look their way, but rose to his feet and walked towards them. He still looked furious, but he was quiet and obedient the whole way back to his unit. 

The little girl screamed as she ran through the forest. Her black hair was flowing in the wind. She ran as fast as she could, hoping they wouldn’t catch her. She had to find some place to hide from them. There was a stream nearby that had a lot of bushes around it. She could hide there!

Veering to the left, she jumped over rocks and tree roots, and ducked from low hanging branches. There were people calling her name, and she could hear them getting closer and closer. The girl could see the bushes right in front of her. She splashed through the stream and maneuvered herself behind them, trying to catch her breath. She peered through the leaves, watching and waiting for them.

Up ahead, a man was calling her name. The girl was so preoccupied with keeping a lookout, she failed to notice the woman sneaking up behind her. 

There was a snap of a twig behind her. She turned around and screamed. 

  
  


“Got you!” Laura exclaimed. 

Jess flashed her golden eyes and pounced on her sister. Laura caught her mid air and threw her over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry. 

“I thought I was the fireman here.”

“Derek, help!” Jess yelled. 

“Sorry, no can do.”

“Please!” 

“I couldn’t possibly.” He rolled his eyes up to the sky.

“Derek!” She laughed as Laura spun her around again and again.

“Nope.”

Jess gave a growl and tried to bite Laura, who flipped her over and held her up by her ankles. She tried to swat at Laura’s legs, but her arms couldn’t reach. 

Derek tackled Laura from the side and Jess landed on the dirt. 

“You said you couldn’t help!” Laura squawked when Derek put her in a headlock.

“I lied,” he grinned, sending a teasing glance at Jess. 

She laughed and hopped on top of both of them. They groaned in unison. Derek rolled Jess underneath him and started tickling her sides. Jess had an infectious giggle, and soon they were all smiling. 

Laura looked over at her brother. It was so rare for Derek to smile nowadays, and she took a mental picture for safekeeping. 

After the mate bond broke, he was a shell of his former self. For the longest time, Derek walked through life like a zombie. He just went through the motions. He and mom had a falling out that shocked everyone. They had always been so close, and Laura still wasn’t sure exactly what happened because neither of them would talk about it. The last two years of high school, he had isolated himself from his friends and from his family. Everyone could feel the distance, but nobody knew how to fix it. Their Uncle Peter, who had lost his mate during childbirth, was the only one that really understood. 

Peter had done what he could, but it wasn’t enough. Their dad had thought that Beacon Hills was the problem, that there were just too many bad memories associated with the town. So, Laura applied for med school in New York, and made Derek tag along with her. Jordan, her mate, didn't like the idea of her being so far away, but he understood her need to help her brother. He was too smart to not go to college, so she enrolled him at NYU. She waited until the day before classes started to tell him. He hadn’t been happy at first, but he eventually learned to like it. He even made a friend named Vernon Boyd. He was quiet like Derek. They were kindred spirits. She was elated when he decided to get his degree in foreign languages, because that meant he was still planning on being her Second one day. Being multilingual was a useful skill when creating alliances with other packs. It was the first step in closing the distance he had with the pack. 

When she got her doctorate, he suggested they go back to Beacon Hills. 

“I know you still need to do your clinicals. Just like I know you’ve missed being around the pack. I have, too.”

“Der-”

“And mom still has a lot to teach you. Dad’s been a decent replacement Second while you’ve been away, but it’s  _ your _ spot.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been doing so well here.”  _ I don’t want you to regress _ , she had thought. 

“I’ll be fine.” His heart had skipped a beat, and she gave him a pointed look. He sighed. “I’ll be just as fine there as I’ve been here.”

So, Laura, Derek, and Boyd had returned to Beacon Hills, to their  _ home _ . She started working at the ER again, and Derek got a job at the fire department. At first, he was just a volunteer. But he was so good at it, he was offered a job, which he accepted. He said his degree was more for pack business, but helping people was for  _ him _ . She had hugged him fiercely after he told her that, and tried not to cry in relief. He was starting to heal. 

Still, there were times when he would stare off in the distance with a look of longing, and sometimes he would sink into a depression that no one could break him out of. He and mom were on better terms now, but their relationship wasn’t like it used to be. Derek, who had always liked doing a full shift, would do it every single day, for hours at a time. He said it was easier to think as the wolf, that everything was simpler. One day, not long after they had come back, she overheard him talking with Uncle Peter in the library.

“Does the ache ever go away?”

“No,” Peter had replied. “Never. You just learn to bear it.”

Laura was brought out of her thoughts by their mother howling for them to return home. Jess, who had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard, wanted Derek to give her a piggyback ride. Derek, the big softy, had always been unable to say no to Jess. She climbed on his back, and he caught Laura’s gaze. He gave her a questioning look. She shook her head, silently telling him everything was fine, and they made their way back home. 


	5. Chpt. 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris has more interaction with Stella, and finds out why Gerard keeps her around. Derek dreams of his mate.

Later that afternoon, Chris had been put in charge of unit 12, where the girl named Stella was kept. None of the hunters would tell him what she was. Not out of the desire to keep him out of the loop, but because they didn’t seem to know, either. This was his first time watching her, and a part of him was nervous, though he’d never admit it. He went to the cooler that was sitting in front of the door, grabbed a sandwich and bottle of water, and went to the side of the unit. There was a small opening there that he unlatched. It wasn’t big enough for someone to crawl out of, just big enough to slide the meager offerings through. 

“Food,” Chris said, keeping his eye on the girl. She was a slip of a thing, 5’3”, maybe 115 pounds. He could see origami figures everywhere, as well as a stack of books in the corner. Her small cot was made up the same way a soldier would make theirs, precise and smooth. There was an old, small tv sitting on the ground, which was something none of the other units had.  _ Must be her reward. _

Hey, Chris,” Stella said, bouncing over to the latch and gingerly taking the sandwich and water. “What’s new?”

Instead of responding, he closed the latch. 

“Nice day outside, isn’t it. Not that I would know or anything. Did Kenny feed the ducks? I told him to feed the ducks.”

“She’ll do this all fucking day,” said Rosita, one of the guards. “I used to bring ear plugs, but your father got pissed at me. He said I was being careless.” She smiled at him mischievously. 

“You were,” he replied bluntly.

Her smile dropped. “Yeah, well, he doesn’t have to listen to her drone on and on. I do.” She turned back to her post, which was a clear dismissal. Chris was glad for it, he didn’t want to create any kind of camaraderie with these people. 

Rosita was right. Stella talked all day.

  
  


Derek never told Laura about the dreams. He didn’t want her to look at him like he was fragile, or like he needed to be fixed. The only person that knew was Boyd. He had accidentally confessed it to him one night, after they drank a few beers laced with wolfsbane. Boyd, whose sister had gone missing when he was a child, understood. He said he had dreams of his sister all the time. Derek didn’t think they were the same, but he never said anything. 

When Derek was younger, after the bond had broken, he had nightmares. Ones where his mate would be standing across the room from him, but no matter how much he ran, he never got any closer to her. Another recurring one was of him holding her lifeless body, with her blood on his hands. 

Over time, they started to change. Suddenly, she was within his reach. He could hold her, scent her, protect her. Sometimes, he would be in his wolf form, and they would run for hours. Other times, they would just lay together. They never spoke, which was strange, but he didn’t really care about that. His dreams were the only connections he would ever have with his mate. He would take what he could get. 

He thought about asking his Uncle Peter if he ever had dreams of Aunt Evelyn, but he didn’t want to hurt him. Peter still flinched whenever somebody even said her name. So, he kept this secret to himself. 

New York had been good for him. He went to college, he met his best friend Boyd, and Laura stopped looking at him like he was a wounded animal. One night, he had dreamed of Stella, at the edge of town with her hand on the Welcome to Beacon Hills sign. He couldn’t explain it, but he just knew she needed him to go back. So, he pitched the idea to Laura, and they left New York behind them. 

The real reason he came back to Beacon Hills wasn’t because he wanted to. It was because  _ Stella _ wanted him to. Derek kept that secret to himself, too. 

  
  
  


Another week passed, and somehow Chris had managed to be on Stella’s watch every day. He found out that the only way to get Stella to stop babbling on and on, was to engage her in conversation that focused her attention on something. 

She appeared eager to talk with him. It made him think about how lonely she must be in there. It would have made him feel guilty, but he knew she was dangerous. Gerard had taken her for a reason. 

Over the week, he found out more information about her than he had from all of the guards combined. She was almost seventeen, loved to read, and her tv only played three channels, two of which were cooking related. Stella was also pretty easy to talk to. 

Unintentionally, he had given her information about himself. He had told her he had a daughter named Allison, who was about her age, and was lethal with a bow. Stella had seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. Probably, because she didn’t get much company. 

He expected today to be the same as all the other days, full of conversation but mostly boring. Instead, when he arrived at his post that morning, Stella was out of the unit. Five heavily armed hunters flanked her, and had on two bracelets that matched her collar. Judging by her narrowed eyes, clenched jaw, and crossed arms, she was not happy. 

“Christopher,” Gerard spoke. “We have a very important mission today. It seems you will finally get to see what our secret weapon is capable of.” The corners of his mouth were turned up, and he was looking at Stella with a mix of triumph and, shockingly, pride. 

“I’m not your weapon, you geriatric dick,” Stella hissed. 

“Such a lady,” he sneered back. “It’s time to move!” With that order, they made their way over to three black vans. 

  
  


After driving for almost 45 minutes, they came to a stop. When they opened the van doors, they heard a screeching noise that made them cover their ears. 

“Shut that thing up!” O’neill yelled into his walkie talkie. 

_ “We’re trying! _ ” came the voice on the other end.

“Try harder!” A few moments later, the screeching stopped. 

“What was that?” Rosita asked, her gun pointed at Stella’s back. It must have been a usual occurrence, because Stella didn’t look disturbed by it in the least. If anything, she looked bored. 

“We need to be quick about this,” Gerard ordered, leading everyone to a nearby pond. There were two hunters standing over a female sea creature of some sort. It had seaweed green eyes, a grayish complexion, and a row of needle like teeth. It’s cheekbones were made into sharp points. It also had on its arms and legs, and gills at its neck. The siren had been tased and it’s head was bleeding green blood profusely. 

“What the hell is it?” O’Neill asked, looking confused as well as disgusted. 

Gerard, on the other hand, looked delighted. “A siren. They typically stick to the oceans. My contacts in Athens rounded a few of them up out of the Mediterranean Sea. I convinced them to send me one to study.” Gerard had a glint in his eye as he looked down at the siren. “We just got her in this morning, had to bring her in a tank. Threw her in the pond. She doesn’t seem to like fresh water, though. Too used to saltwater, I suppose.”

“What do we do with it?” One of the other hunters asked. Davis, Chris thought. He was younger than most, and was fairly new to the group. 

“ _ We _ won’t be doing anything, my boy. Stella here is going to do the work for us.”

Stella scoffed as her expression hardened. “No, thanks. I’ll pass.”

There was a chorus of exasperated sighs made by several hunters. 

“Here we go again,” Rosita grumbled, rolling her eyes.

“What?” Stella asked with a deceptively sweet smile on her face. She held her hands out in front of her, showing off the red nail polish she had on. “I just got my nails did.” 

Chris fought back a smile. That smile quickly faded as two hunters slid open the door to the third van, and dragged a semi-conscious werewolf out.  _ Erica _ , his mind supplied. Stella’s eyes burned with hatred as she scowled at Gerard. 

“You piece of shit!”

Her outburst only made Gerard’s arrogant smile widen. “Did you really think I wouldn’t bring an incentive? Stella, you should know better after all these years.”

For the first time since he met her, Stella actually seemed afraid. She hid it well under a furious gaze, but it was there. And Gerard knew it, too. 

“That’s right. Now get to work.”

Stella glanced back at Erica, who had been thrown on the ground. She was moving sluggishly and her blonde hair was matted. There were two bullet wounds, one in her thigh, the other in her shoulder. Wolfsbane bullets, no doubt. 

Stella turned towards the siren. It was still trying to move, though it’s fins made it difficult. Not used to being on land, the creature used it’s razor sharp talons to pull her way forward. It was trying desperately to get back into the water. 

A scream rang out behind him as Erica was tasered. 

“Stop!” Stella screamed. She was about to rush to her friend, but skidded to a stop by two hunters pointing their guns at her. “Stop hurting her!”

The tazing ended. Erica wasn’t moving anymore, but she was making pained noises. 

“Get to work, young lady. Or we’ll have to shock the mutt again.”

“Alright,” she answered shakily. Her eyes had welled up with tears that she refused to let fall. She walked over to the siren, stopping a couple feet away. She held out her hand, palm facing outward, and the siren stopped it’s moving. It rolled over to look at Stella with an unreadable expression.

_ Mind control?  _ He thought.  _ It can’t be. She wouldn’t be locked up if she could do something that powerful.” _

The siren tried to screech, to hurt them with her voice again. No noise came out, however, because it was coughing up a black substance. One of the hunters, Chris didn’t know their name, had a collar in their hand. They stood as far away from Stella as they could, while still being able to tap her on the shoulder with it. She snatched it out of their hand and they backed away immediately. Stella fell to her knees beside the siren.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so, so sorry.” 

She clasped the collar around its neck, and the tears finally fell. 


	6. Chpt. 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out what the Sheriff's been up to. Stella has a dream. Chris has difficultly with morality.

After his daughter had gone missing, Sheriff John Stilinski, who back then was just a Deputy, had hit a downward spiral. He had lost his wife and daughter in the same night. He worked himself to the point of exhaustion, and kept going. He could barely stomach food, and the only sleep he got was when he passed out drunk. Melissa was with him through it all, slowly but surely helping him deal with his grief. Scott, her son, had been Stella’s friend, and he didn’t take the news well, either. Melissa told him that Scott had nightmares sometimes, and that his grades had gotten worse. 

As time went on, Melissa and Scott became a constant in his life. Through his grief, anger, despair, and sadness, he had them. Melissa was a strong woman, a single mother who worked hard and raised a good kid. Scott, while a little shy sometimes, was easily excited by the little things, like ice cream or riding his new bike, and it helped heal some part inside him. It didn’t fill up the gian hole Stella and Claudia left behind, and they could never replace his daughter, but they did become his family. 

One night, when he was in a drunken stupor, Scott had come up to him and hesitantly told him how Stella wouldn’t like him acting the way he was. It was a turning point. John got sober. He cleaned up his act, ran for the Sheriff’s position, and won. He tried to be the kind of person his wife and daughter would be proud of. 

Talia Hale had suggested they do monthly lunches together, the way she did with Claudia, and he agreed. They had become close friends, and he sympathized with Derek. When Talia told him that Laura and Derek were going to school in New York, he thought the change would be good for him. A couple of years later, when they returned, John knew that he was right. Derek did look lighter, like there was less weight on his shoulders, but his smiles never reached his eyes. Derek got a job at the fire department, and it suited him well. They worked closely with the police department on some cases, and he and Derek had started going for lunch as well, much more often than he did with Talia. 

John could see the kind of man Derek had become, and thought that he was the kind of man that could’ve made his daughter very happy. 

  
  
  
  


The ride back to the Armory was a quiet one. Chris was in the passenger seat, and looked in the mirror to see what was happening in the back. Stella was sitting down with Erica’s head in her lap. The blonde was sleeping, or was at least faking it well. Stella just looked out the tinted window. There was a defeated look on her face. Every once and a while he could hear a sniffle. 

Once they were back, she was immediately taken back to unit 12. This time Erica, who had screamed in agony when the wolfsbane was burned out of her, was allowed to stay with her. Apparently, that was Stella’s reward for a job well done. 

“What did you think, my son?”

_ I think it was sickening. I think it felt wrong being there. I think these are just kids who were taken from their families.  _

“I think what you’ve managed to achieve here is impressive. It’s certainly never been done before.”

Gerard was pleased at hearing this. “Indeed. The Argent’s are going to revolutionize hunting.” He patted Chris on the shoulder. “I am delighted that you’re going to be a part of that revolution, Christopher. It’s about time.”

  
  
  


The wolf was at her side as she weaved her way through the trees. She knew exactly where they were going. They’d been there at least a hundred times. One hand reached out, fingers running through the pitch black fur. She could feel the energy nearby, enormous and nearly overwhelming. 

The giant tree stump’s roots were spread out, almost like they were reaching for them. She was careful not to step on any of them, and the wolf did the same. Once she reached the stump, she sat at the edge and ran her hand over it’s smooth surface, admiring the way the moonlight illuminated it. After petting the wolf a few more times, she scooted all the way on the tree and layed down. With her finger placed on the tiniest ring in the middle, she started to count. There were hundreds of rings, and she had counted them hundreds of times. The wolf walked in a small circle, before laying down at the base of the tree. It’s head was on it’s paws, but it’s blue eyes were trained on the forest around them. It would keep watch all night long, and Stella knew she was safe. 


	7. Chpt. 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris and Stella bond, and Derek dreams.

Waking up from a dream like that always made her a little sad. She wanted to stay in that peaceful place, with the wolf at her side. At some point, she wasn’t sure when, she had started to see the wolf as  _ hers _ . 

“Breakfast.” It was Chris’s voice, she could tell. Chris was her favorite of the guards. Well, he was the only guard she didn’t want to impale on a tree branch. His aura was blue, like she remembered her father’s being, though Chris’ was much darker. A deep navy color. It meant he was a good man, who had done some not so good things. She could relate. 

Stella had done some not so good things over the years, too.

The latch opened and he passed her the bowl of oatmeal and a carton of milk. 

“What’s on the agenda today?” He asked. 

“Well, I was thinking I could watch some tv, cooking most likely. Then we could go and feed the ducks. Very exciting. And last but  _ certainly _ not least, I’ll round the day off with an origami penguin.”

“Sounds like a busy schedule,” he grinned good naturedly. 

“Yep,” she replied. “I’m all booked up.”

After the siren incident, Chris had started sticking around to talk with her. It’s like he finally started seeing her as a  _ person _ . He volunteered to be posted at unit 12 at any time. He almost always accompanied her during her outside time. Sometimes, he would sneak her a candy bar or a soda. He had even brought seeds so she could fill up the bird feeder for the family of robins nesting nearby. 

She had also learned quite a bit about him. She knew about his daughter, Allison. He even showed her a picture on his phone once. She was very pretty. His favorite color was black, his favorite animal was a bear, and his favorite season was winter. Just the little things were shared between them, but it was enough for her. Being deprived of human interaction, at least the good kind, for so long had taught her not to be so choosy. 

  
  
  


He dreamed of her again. They were laying on the grass, her head resting on his side. He could hear water trickling nearby, and could feel a cool breeze. He took a deep breath, taking in the electric honeysuckle scent of his mate. Everything was peaceful here, so he didn’t understand why he felt unsettled. He knew she had cuffs on her wrists, round and thin, in just about every dream. This time, she had a collar around her neck, too. His wolf hated the look of it, and would nudge against it with his snout, silently asking her to take it off. Her face changed then, from content to sad, and shook her head. 

She pointed out the small markings etched on it, and even in his wolf form, he understood. She couldn’t take it off because the symbols prevented it. What he didn’t understand was why she had it on in the first place. Derek assumed it was some kind of metaphor, like his dream was reminding him she would never be his. 

He nipped the edge of her shirt and tugged. His mate took the hint, and laid back down. As long as he was with her, the ache in his chest went away for a while. Derek wished he could stay asleep forever, so he could dream of the girl he never got the chance to love. 


	8. Chpt. 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek goes to Deaton for answers.

Derek was like Laura in a lot of ways. They looked alike, with their raven black hair and green eyes. They both had jobs that involved helping people. They both secretly love Marvel movies, and they shared a fascination with history. 

Another thing they shared was an intense dislike for Alan Deaton. He was always cryptic, never gave a straight answer, and often withheld information. He was also annoyingly calm. Derek didn’t like the man’s scent, or his  _ lack _ of scent, to be exact. It was unnatural. 

Still, his mother trusted him. That would have to be good enough. 

His wolf bristled as he walked into the clinic, not liking the wards that waved over him. Deaton greeted Derek at the front counter, hands clasped in front of him, as if he had been expecting him. 

“Good evening, Derek. This is a surprise. What can I do for you?”

_ Yeah, you look really surprised.  _ “I have some questions.”

Deaton nodded. “Very well. What about?”

“I need to know what these symbols mean.” He pulled out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and unfolded it. After his latest dream, he couldn’t get Stella’s forlorn face out of his head. When he had woken, he had sketched as many of the symbols as he could remember. 

“I searched our library but didn’t find much. It would help if I knew what it meant. Then, I’d know where to search.” Derek handed the paper to Deaton, who surveyed it. The longer he looked at the symbols, the more Deaton frowned. 

“Where did you see these,” he asked, with a surprising amount of vehemence that instantly made Derek suspicious. 

“Does it matter? Just tell me what it means.” He was starting to get annoyed. This was his  _ mate _ , he wanted answers. 

“It matters.” Deaton’s voice was as serious as the expression on his face. “These are runes. Very old ones, that not many people know about. If this person is trying to bring harm to the pack, I need to know.”

Unease settled in his chest. “So it  _ is _ used to harm people?”

“Yes, in a way,” Deaton said warily. “It’s meant to contain magic, though there are several runes missing, so I can’t be entirely sure.”

“Is there a way to break it? A way to release the magic?” 

“Derek,” Deaton implored. “Tell me where you saw these symbols, please.”

A part of him wanted to tell someone about his dreams, but the other part of him wanted to continue keeping them a secret. Nobody else would understand. Nobody else would believe him. 

Seeming to sense the internal struggle, Deaton softly said, “I won’t judge you. No matter how strange or unlikely your story is, I will do what I can to help.”

His heartbeat was steady, and Derek knew he was sincere. Still, he refused to make eye contact with the druid, instead focusing his gaze on the generic dog pictures on the wall. 

“Stella showed me,” he whispered. “In my dreams.” He glanced up at Deaton, and was expecting to receive a look of pity, or confusion. Instead, he looked understanding.

“The connection between mates is strong.” Alan paused, and added sympathetically, “Even in death.”

After all these years, Derek still hated when people talked about Stella like she was gone forever. It made him unsettled, angry. The ever present ache in his chest grew. “What if she’s not dead? They never found a body. She could still be alive.”

“Derek, you felt the bond break,” Alan replied placatingly, attempting to reach out for Derek in an effort to provide comfort. 

“Then why can I still feel her!” He hadn’t meant to tell him that. He had never told anyone that, and he immediately regretted doing so upon seeing Alan’s face. 

“What do you mean?”

How could he explain it? How could he tell him that he snuck into her old bedroom when John was at work, just so he could catch the faintest trace of the scent left behind? How could he tell the druid that even though she was gone, he had seen her grow, seen her laugh and sleep and run? Derek sighed, knowing that Deaton wouldn’t, couldn’t, understand. “I can feel her sometimes. It’s faint and lingering, like a phantom limb, but she’s there.”

“It’s not all the time?” Deaton asked, intrigued. 

“No.” He collapsed into a plastic chair nearby. “It’s mostly when I dream and after I wake up. Then it fades in and out as the days go on.” Derek rubbed his hands over his face, suddenly feeling very tired. Deaton appeared lost in thought. 

“Why?” he asked, hoping for once Alan would give a straight answer. 

Finally, Deaton pulled his phone out of his lab coat. “I think it’s time we bring in your mother.”


	9. Chpt. 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deaton, Talia, and Derek come up with a plan.

After calling Talia to the clinic, Deaton reiterated what Derek had told him. She was surprised, but also sad that her son was still suffering so much. She had thought that he adjusted to life without Stella. Clearly, she was wrong.

“Derek, love, the bond  _ broke _ . I was there with you when it happened,” she reminded him gently.

“I knew you wouldn’t believe me,” he said bitterly.

“I believe you’re in pain. I’m sorry you felt like you couldn’t come to me about this.” She sat beside him in one of the waiting room chairs, the plastic squeaking. Talia placed her hand on her son’s shoulder, trying to maintain a connection with him. After the bond had broken, Derek had isolated himself. He drew away from the pack, but even more so from her. She longed for the bond they used to share. 

“Derek said he can still feel her sometimes. Strange, considering the broken bond.” Deaton spoke like he was thinking out loud, and Derek thought he might be talking to himself instead of his mother.

“Peter gets that way, too, sometimes. He clings to what the bond used to feel like. The way he described it made it sound almost like muscle memory.” Talia rubbed her hand up and down Derek’s back. Her son had always been the quietest of her children, the most introspective. She loved that about him when he was younger, but now it just worried her. 

“It’s not like that,” he muttered. “She’s there.  _ I _ know it, my wolf knows it. What I feel is tethering me to her, almost like a pack bond.” 

Deaton perked up at that, and for the first time the two wolves saw excitement on his face. “A pack bond?”

“Yeah,” Derek replied, drawing the word out. 

“Interesting.”

When he didn’t say anything more, Derek became frustrated, and rolled his eyes. He didn’t have his mother’s patience. “Care to elaborate?” 

“Perhaps the mate bond wasn’t the one that broke that day. It may have been a pack bond instead.”

“But he didn’t even know her.” Talia stated.

“That wouldn’t matter to his wolf. Instinctually, it would have formed a back bond. Perhaps not a complete one,” Deaton said. “But a bond nonetheless.”

Derek felt the last remaining flicker of hope that he had held onto all these years grow a little more. “So, it could be the mate bond I feel?”

“I’m not certain, but it is possible.”

The scent of relief flowed off of Derek in waves, and for the first time in  _ years _ , Talia saw pieces of the old Derek come back to life. 

  
  
  
  


“I think this goes without saying,” Talia started, pacing in a wide circle. 

“But you’re going to say it anyway,” Deaton smiled knowingly. After their conversation at the clinic, they had decided to reconvene back at the house. Derek, who had a far away look in his eyes, had shifted and took to the woods almost immediately. Talia and Alan had made their way to the library.

Talia sighed. “I need you to be sure about this, Alan. I don’t want to put Derek through this if it’s just going to end in disappointment. I don’t think he can survive losing her a second time. Not to mention telling John that his daughter might have been alive all these years.”

“There are no guarantees when it comes to magic,” Deaton said sympathetically. “But, as your emissary, it is my job to offer advice.”

“And?”

“If Derek really has been feeling a mate bond all these years, then that means Stella is still alive.”

“Alright. Going on the assumption that she is, then they’ve been dream sharing.”

“It appears so.”

Dream sharing is something that occasionally happened with mates, but she had never heard of it happening to people  _ before _ the mating was complete. She picked up the paper her son had given Alan, and ran her fingers of some of the symbols.

“Whoever took her is binding her to them?”

“Not exactly. She is not being bound  _ to _ someone, but rather  _ by _ someone. A very powerful someone. Essentially, her own magic is bound within her. She will still have access to some of it, but not enough to break through the binders.”

“But there  _ is _ a way to break them?”

“Yes, I think so. The problem is, with her magic contained, I doubt she’d be able to manage it on her own. Derek said she had three binders. Two on her wrists, and one around her neck. Breaking them would take time and energy, but breaking just one of them may be enough to widen the link between them more. Then perhaps we’d be able to communicate with her through him, and find out where she is.”

“We can’t just do a tracking spell?” Talia asked. 

“No, the runes prevent that. The binders contain her magic, but it also prevents any other outside magic from interacting with her, aside from the one that made them.”

“Then how will she free herself?” The combination of helplessness, and the overwhelming concern for her son’s well being, made the wolf in her agitated and restless. 

“I knew you would ask that. As it happens, I have an idea.”

Talia looked out the window of their library, to stare down at her son. Derek was in his wolf form, laying at the edge of the treeline. Laura was shifted as well, and she could see her daughter trying to engage him in play. He ignored her, completely lost in thought.

“Tell me.”

  
  
  
  
  


She didn’t always dream of her wolf. Sometimes, she dreamed of other things. Stella frequently dreamed about her dad. Over the years, she had clung to the memories she had of her parents. She couldn’t remember the color of her dad’s eyes, or the perfume her mom wore. It had been too long. But she did remember her mom’s brownies, and her dad’s perpetually clean shaven face. She remembered her best friend Scott, with his floppy dark hair and puppy dog eyes. 

Thinking about what they looked like now, or what they’ve been up to all these years, was a favorite pastime of hers. Even though it made her sad, and made her long for the things she would never have again, she still thought it was important. 

In this dream, Stella was in the park with her parents. Her mom was in a pretty red and white sundress, with a big hat on her head shielding her eyes from the sun. Her dad was still in his deputy uniform, and had on sunglasses. Stella herself was in a white dress. Under them was a red gingham blanket, and a spread of food was laid out before them. Foods that she hadn’t had in a long time, like salad, baked chicken, and fresh strawberries. She could feel the gentle breeze, and could see kids playing tag nearby. It was a good dream. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of black shoot by. Everything started slowing down around her. The water from the drinking fountain a kid was using had stopped flowing. A frisbee was frozen in midair. The kids that were running around were moving in slow motion. Stella felt a presence behind her, and turned around to see her wolf, blue eyes blazing with intensity.

In his mouth, there was a leatherbound book, no bigger than her hand. She gently took it from him and rifled through the pages.

“What’s this?” She pondered, knowing the wolf couldn’t answer. The book was completely blank except for the first page. 

_ Stella, this spell will help you break the bindings that are containing your magic. Read through it carefully, and follow it exactly as it is written. It will require a lot of energy, so the first half of the spell will tell you how to funnel Derek’s energy into you. Be careful not to take too much at once.  _

_ This book will only remain in your dream state. I am hoping that once you are able to free yourself from one of your bonds, that we will be able to lock onto your energy and find you. Remember, magic is first and foremost about belief.  _

At the bottom of the page, written in perfect cursive, was  _ Alan Deaton _ . The name sounded familiar, but she couldn’t remember who the person was. She peered at her wolf, whose gaze was fixated on her. 

“Derek?” she hesitantly asked. The wolf nodded it’s head once. “So, you’re not a figment of my overactive imagination?”

Derek-the-wolf tilted his head, almost like he was confused. The thought made her smile. Stella fell to her knees in front of him, and reached up to caress his neck. She wasn’t sure who this Deaton person was, but she knew that she trusted her wolf. “You’re going to help free me?” 

Derek butted his head against hers, and licked her cheek.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”


	10. Chpt 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella makes it rain. Another dream is shared. Talia worries. Erica and Isaac do their part. Chris feels guilty.

They walked along the small pond, tossing food at the ducks swimming on the surface. It was a dreary, cloudy day. The forecast predicted thunderstorms, so Chris had decided to take Stella outside early. Stella was normally energetic, even though he could tell that sometimes it was forced or faked. Today was different, though. Her shoulders slump, and she looked dejected. And he had that he had made her that way. 

“You’re leaving?” Stella asked, the disappointment evident in her voice. She had avoided looking at him since he told her the news. 

“Yes. I have to. School will be starting back soon, and this is Allison’s senior year. I want to be there for it.” Chris tried to make her understand, to ease his guilt of leaving this girl behind. 

Stella nodded like she understood, but he doubted she really did. How could she? She hadn’t been to school in years, aside from the one she made for herself in her makeshift prison. His stomach churned. It had been doing that a lot lately. 

“Will you come back?” She tried not to let her hope seep into her voice. 

“Yes.” He had decided that the day he met her. As much as he disliked the Armory, he hated the idea of leaving her here alone even more. She looked relieved, and her shoulders straightened a bit. 

“When?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Okay, well…” She trailed off, and then asked, “ When do you leave?”

“In three days.” 

“Oh,” she said in a small voice. She had hoped to at least have a few more days with him. “That sucks. You’re my favorite guard.” The way she said it so matter of fact, like it was something normal for a seventeen year old girl to say, made the churning worse. 

“I’m sorry,” Chris said, and he meant it. “I’ll talk to the guards, see if they’ll be a little more lenient.”

“Don’t bother,” Stella scoffed. “There’s no reasoning with them. Trust me.” Thunder rolled in the background. She examined the sky, looking pleased. 

“We should head back,” Chris suggested. 

“Good idea,” she agreed. “It’s going to storm for the next couple of days.”

The assuredness in her voice amused him. “How do you know?”

She shrugged nonchalantly, but there was a mischievous gleam in her eyes. “Call it intuition.”

  
  


“So, all we have to do is wait until it rains, and collect the water?” Isaac asked, sounding skeptical. 

“Yep. Stella makes it rain, and we gather up the rain, and somehow that will free her, and she will free us,” replied Erica, with false cheeriness. “Makes sense, right?”

“Yeah,” Isaac scoffed. “Perfect sense.” He ran his hair through his curly chestnut locks, and she knew that meant her friend was getting nervous. The need to comfort her packmate rose within her. 

Erica’s face softened. “Stella said the rainwater is just one part. She said it also involves her blood, and the new moon. There’s supposed to be something she chants, too.”

“How is she going to perform magic, when her magic is trapped?” 

“That is a good question, puppy. Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer.”

“That’s comforting.” He rolled his eyes. 

“Look, we know she can do some things, right? That’s how she…” Erica swallowed, trying to hold back her emotions. The grief, the anger, the hope. It was all jumbled up inside her, and it wouldn’t do any good to get upset. “That’s how they use her.” 

Isaac scooted over, his chains rattling, and sat beside her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he nuzzled into her frizzy blonde hair. “It’ll work,” he said. His voice had an edge of desperation to it. “It has to.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The sky was cloudy, and lent a morose feeling to the air. Being in a cemetery didn’t help. If Derek were in his human form, he would have goosebumps. Instead, he just gave a full body shake, and focused on Stella’s scent. She sat in front of a tombstone, with the book from their last dream clutched in her hand. She had been quieter than usual this time. He wished he could be human here, so he could talk to her, hold her in his arms. He still hadn’t figured out how to shift in his dream state yet. So, he gave her the only comfort he could, and rubbed up against her before sitting down. Patiently, he waited.

“This is my mom,” she whispered, as if she didn’t dare speak out loud. “Her name was Claudia. She was beautiful, and strong, and so full of  _ life _ . Until she wasn’t.” She closed her eyes tightly, which caused a tear to slide down her cheek. Derek whined, not liking his mate being in pain. He felt helpless, so he nuzzled under her chin. 

“I’m okay,” she said, sensing his distress. Wiping the tear away, she curled her arm around his neck and held on tightly. “I’m just scared. If this plan doesn’t work…” Stella trailed off, not sure if she should go on. If this plan didn’t work, there would be hell to pay. The guards, Gerard, and _that_ _woman_ would see to that. 

Derek nudged the book with his nose. 

“I know, I know. I need to believe.” Taking a deep breath to center herself, she stared into the blue eyes of her wolf. His gaze stared back unwaveringly. “I can’t wait to meet you in person.”

At first, Derek wasn’t sure what he was feeling. Genuine happiness had become such a foreign idea to Derek over the years, that he forgot what it felt like. But somehow he knew it felt like this. A release, the air in his lungs, the moonlight raining down on them. The scent of honeysuckles and juniper berries. The scent of  _ hope _ and  _ magic _ . 

Stella stood up, wiping the grass stains and dirt off her pants. She opened the book, and flipped to the correct page. “Let’s get to work.”

  
  
  
  


Talia knew that what they were doing was dangerous. Stella, if she was indeed alive, was an untrained spark. She wouldn’t know how to do a complicated spell like the one they were using. She could easily take too much energy, and zap Derek dry, which could kill him. Worrying in a way only a mother could, she had tried to talk to Derek about it, to reason with him. They could find another, much  _ safer _ , way. But her son was stubborn, and wouldn’t hear it. He was insistent on helping the girl. 

Deep down, Talia knew he would be. She expected her concerns to be ignored. When protecting one’s mate, there were no boundaries a person wouldn’t cross.

The door to Derek’s room opened behind her, and she turned her gaze to her Emissary. Her instincts were telling her to rush in and check on her boy, but she held back. “How is he?”

“He’ll be fine, given he has enough time to recuperate.”

“How much did she take? And how much more will she need?”

“It’s hard to say,” Alan answered honestly. “Regardless, Derek will do whatever he feels he must.” He looked at Talia knowingly, trying to convey his sympathy for her situation. “You won’t be able to prevent this. The bond between mates is stronger than the bond between an alpha and a beta. Perhaps even stronger than the bond between a mother and child.”

“Nothing is stronger than that, Alan. I know the mate bond is strong, but that doesn’t mean I have to like this situation,” she sulked. Deaton smiled good naturedly, and guided her to the stairs. 

“It’s nothing a good cup of tea can’t fix.”

“I doubt that,” she murmured, stealing one last glance back at her son’s closed door. 

  
  
  
  


When she woke up the morning after, Stella felt more empowered than she ever had before. It felt so  _ good _ . This new influx of energy bolstered her confidence. This spell could  _ work _ . 

Derek, on the other hand, was so tired the next morning that he ran into a wall. Laura laughed until she cried. 


	11. Chpt. 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mother and son have a long overdue conversation.

Two more days had passed since the first time her son had shared his energy with his supposedly long lost mate. The alpha in her wanted to put a stop to this. She couldn’t see what Derek could see in his dreams. She couldn’t confirm who this girl was, which essentially made her a stranger. Her wolf didn’t like the lack of control. 

The mother also wanted to put a stop to this. Her son looked ragged, and moved sluggishly. It was as if he were drugged on wolfsbane. She could tell he was weakened. Derek usually shifted into his wolf form at least once a day. He had always been more comfortable that way. Talia supposed that was why he appeared to her as a wolf in his dreams. It’s like he was sick, and werewolves don’t get sick. 

Derek was sitting on a stool at the kitchen island, his head resting on his forearms. He was breathing evenly, and for a moment she thought he might have been asleep. But sensing her entering the room caused his head to pop up, just for a moment, before plopping back down. 

The fact that he barely had the energy to hold his own head up frustrated her. “I wish you would let us figure something else out, Derek. I don’t understand why you can’t see how much this is damaging you.” She pulled two mugs out of the cabinet, and poured coffee in them. 

“Easy for you to say. You have your mate under the same roof.” 

“True,” she admitted, adding cream and sugar to hot drinks. “But if Robert and I were in a situation where we weren’t under the same roof, I don’t think either of us would do something that would endanger the other.” She sat across from him, and took a sip of her coffee. She slid his in front of him. 

“I don’t care about your hypothetical situations. This is  _ real _ , whether you believe it or not. And Stella and I aren’t like you and dad. I’d do anything to save her.”

“I understand the need to protect your mate, honey. I just-”

“Do you?” Derek asked. His gaze was stormy, and his voice was hard. “Because if you did, then you would have told me about her.”

Talia sighed. She knew where this was going, and she knew it was going to hurt. She also knew that she deserved it. “Derek-”

“I could have protected her. You knew who my mate was, and you didn’t tell me. If I had known, I would have been there for her when her mom died. Instead of running away, she would have ran to  _ me _ .” He was angry, and his ice blue eyes blazed. Just looking at them made more guilt rise in her gut. His claws were out, scraping lightly against the porcelain mug. Then, Derek heaved a big sigh, and his whole body deflated like he didn’t have the energy to be angry. And he probably didn’t. 

“You’re right.” She took a sip of coffee, and tried to gain her composure. “I should have told you.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Derek asked quietly, sadness and hurt emanating from him. Talia would have preferred the anger. 

“Claudia didn’t think Stella was ready to know yet.” While it wasn’t a lie, it still didn’t sit right with her, like she was using her deceased friend as an excuse. 

“I  _ was _ ready. You could have told me, and I would have waited.”

“I know that now, but at the time I wasn’t so sure. You and Paige had just broken up and you were devastated about that. And then there was that other woman you refused to tell us about.” She gave him a judgemental look at that one. “You were a teenager. That alone is a difficult, turbulent time in one’s life. But a teenage  _ werewolf? _ I was concerned you might not be able to keep control.”

It was the truth. Talia realized too late that she was wrong, and would regret that for the rest of her life, but she did have good intentions at the time. Getting her son to see that, wouldn’t be easy. They used to be so close. Of all her children, Derek was the one that was closest to her. The strain on their relationship over the years was unpleasant for the whole pack, and it left an empty space in her heart that he used to fill. She knew he blamed her, and she blamed herself, as well. Many sleepless nights had happened, and many more would happen in the future. 

Derek looked into his mug pensively. A string of emotions had crossed over his face. Hurt, confusion, weariness, and finally anger. He stood up forcefully, the legs of the chair scraping against the floor. 

“You had no right to keep her from me.”

He walked out of the kitchen, ignoring her when she called his name. Talia sat in their kitchen, all alone except for the guilt that made itself known and refused to leave. 


	12. Chpt. 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella gets hurt, Chris had a crisis of conscience, and Erica and Isaac get some backstory. Sometimes, things have to get worse before they get better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a head's up, there is some physical abuse in this chapter. It's not super detailed, and it's just in the first couple of paragraphs, so skip those if it's a trigger for you.

“What happened?” Chris asked. His heart was beat maniacally in his chest. Stella was moving with a limp and favoring her left side. He knew just by looking at her that she had a broken rib. Her left eye was blackening, and she had bruising around her right jaw down to her throat. Her lip was split in two places, and she had scrapes on her arms and face. As unsettling as the sight was, it was the fact that she refused to lift her head, that unsettled him the most. 

“She tried to escape,” O’Neill said. He looked a little worse for wear himself. He was out of breath and sweaty, and Miller was nursing a blood nose. Covey was behind them, gun raised and pointing right at Stella. His trigger finger was shaking, like he was just itching to pull it. Chris pushed down on his fatherly instincts and had to remind himself again that this was not his daughter. 

“She needed to be taught a lesson.” Miller said, spitting blood. 

“A lesson, indeed,” Gerard said, stepping forward out of the shadows. Finally, Stella raised her head and glared at him. Chris could see the pain on her face, but he could also see the stubbornness, the hatred.

“I think you’ve taught me this lesson before,’ Stella rasped. “I guess it didn’t take.”

“Apparently not,” Gerard agreed. “Perhaps another lesson, then.” He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. She did so unblinkingly. Chris had been stared down by Gerard many times over the course of his life. He knew it was not an easy stare to hold. He’d seen many grown men wither under that stare. Yet here was this teenage girl holding his gaze. She had more courage than all of them combined. 

“You see, Stella. Books are luxuries. Television and a bed? Those are luxuries. Even paper is a luxury.” Gerard smirked. “And bad girls don’t deserve luxuries.”

As he was talking, a couple of women Chris had never seen before went into the cell and started taking everything out. Everything. The books, tv, the blanket, and the mattress were taken, but also the drawings on the walls, the origami creations, even the plants. She was forced to watch it all, but stubbornly kept her head up in defiance. 

“Throw her in the cell. Give her some bandages. We don’t want any wounds getting infected.” Gerard sneered at her. “We can’t have our favorite weapon getting sick. But don’t give her any ice packs or pain medicines. Those are luxuries, too, my dear.” Gerard smiled triumphantly at Stella, and walked away. He called over his shoulder, “And no dinner tonight. She hasn’t earned it.”

O’Neill and Miller gleefully did as they were told and literally threw her in the cell. She let out a weak cry of pain. When she sat up, she hissed and grit her teeth, clutching her left side. The men shut the cell, did up the locks, and left the hall, muttering insults under their breaths. Chris peeked through the small opening. Stella was sitting in the corner, half obstructed by the metal posts of the nailed down bed frame. It was the only piece of furniture in the room. In fact, it was the only thing in the room, besides Stella herself. 

He didn’t say anything because he wasn’t sure what he could say. He couldn’t ask her if she was okay, because she had been beaten by grown men three times her size and deprived of the few good things she was allowed to have. Obviously, she wasn’t okay. He couldn’t ask her if she needed help, because of course she did. And he knew he couldn’t help her. 

And he couldn’t stay here looking at this miserable girl knowing that. This girl who was his  _ daughter’s _ age. He walked away, but stopped when he heard his name. 

“Chris?” She called out hesitantly.

“I’m here.”  _ I wish I could always be here for you. I wish I could do more for you. I wish I could bring you back to your parents. A daughter needs her father.  _

“Don’t forget to feed the ducks.” He heard her sniffle, and even though he couldn't see her face, he knew she was barely holding herself together. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, not trusting himself to speak yet. 

“Okay,” he whispered. He doubted she heard it. She didn’t say anything after that, so he left. 

He went and fed the ducks. 

  
  
  


Laying on his cot, Isaac kept his hand under his pillow, grasping onto the plastic bottle and refusing to let go. He had gathered the rain water in it. It was his job, his part of the spell that was their only chance of freedom. Erica’s job was to discreetly get the word out to the others. Erica didn’t look like the kind of girl who could be discreet about anything, but she was deceptively sneaky. Stella’s part, of course, was performing the spell itself, with her blood being a key ingredient. The thought of his packmate injuring herself on purpose made him unsettled. Stella had been hurt enough. 

Erica, who was lying on her own cot near him, turned on her side to look at him, like she knew what he was thinking. “It’s not going to be bad, Isaac. She only needs a little.”

“Yeah, I know.” He was trying to convince himself that everybody would be okay, that everything would work out for the best. But the little boy in him, the one that had grown up in this awful place, made him question whether that was really possible. 

“Is everything ready? Everyone knows what to do, right?”

“Yes, Isaac,” Erica sighed. “We’ve been over this. Everything is going according to plan.”

“Sorry. I know I’m being paranoid. I think I’m just trying not to get my hopes up, you know?”

“I do know,” the blonde said, sliding off her cot to join Isaac’s on his. It was a tight fit, but with both of them on their sides, they made it work. It wasn’t the first time they had done this. After she and Stella were taken and brought here, they were, of course, terrified. Even more so when they were separated. Isaac was the first friend she’d made here. 

It was hard to remember something that happened so long ago, but she didn remember sitting in a dark corner, with her knees pulled in tight and her face in her arms. Erica remembered she cried for what felt like hours, and recalled a nine year old Isaac scooting over and putting his arm around her. After she was forcibly turned, she was scared she would hurt him, until she found out that he had been turned as well. Gerard had been surprised at their survival, especially hers, considering she had epilepsy at the time. The alpha they used to change them was dragged away, and they never saw him again. They didn’t even know his name. 

  
  
  
  


That night, Stella struggled to find sleep. She couldn’t get comfortable on the cold, hard floor. Her ribs hurt every time she  _ breathed _ . Her head was pounding, and she was emotionally drained. She didn’t sleep deeply enough to dream that night. 

That night, Derek shifted into his wolf skin and took to the woods. He stayed like that for a whole day. 


	13. Chpt. 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A gift is given and Chris is overwhelmed.

The sun beat down on them, reflecting off of the pond. It was a beautiful day. The only unpleasant sight was the line of guards that hovered nearby. Ever since Stella’s attempted escape, Gerard had doubled, sometimes tripled, the amount of security surrounding Stella. The other guards that were posted with him had kept their distance from her. When he brought out a cheap chess board, and they began setting it up, most of them had looked at him like he was crazy. 

“Hey, Chris?” Stella asked, moving one of her bishops across the chess board. 

“Yeah?” He moved a rook. 

“Do you think you can find my things? You know, the  _ luxuries _ I’m not allowed to have.” She smiled, but it pulled at her busted lip and she winced. She took his rook with one of her knights. 

“I’ll see if I can get one thing.” Chris brought one of his own knights out. “Gerard might allow that much. What are you wanting?”

“I don’t want anything from that dick. But,” she hesitated. “I have something for you. Chris glanced at her in confusion. That wasn’t what he was expecting. 

It’s not much,” she was quick to point out. “But I wanted to make sure you got it before you left.”

“What is it?” He was curious, but also felt a little awkward. He had nothing to give her in return, not that Gerard would let her keep anything. 

“It’s not a surprise if I tell you,” she teased. It was the first real smile she gave him that day. She moved her queen. 

“Alright,  _ where _ is it?” He used one of his pawns to take one of hers. 

“It’s in the craft box. The one I kept the paper in? I wrapped them. Well...sort of. You can’t miss them.”

“Okay, I’ll get them after dinner.”

“Great! Checkmate, by the way.”

“Damnit!”

  
  


True to his word, he went in search of Stella’s belongings right after dinner. It wasn’t hard to find, as it was all stuffed haphazardly into a hall closet. He pulled the box out, checking over his shoulder to make sure no one would see him. Stella was right, you couldn’t miss it. She had made a big square container out of construction paper. It was bright orange, and was covered in glitter. It was garish, and he was ninety percent sure she made it that way on purpose. Despite the glitter that rained down from the box, it made him smile. 

He quickly tucked the craft box back in the closet and hurriedly made his way to his room, locking the door behind him. He felt like a teenager trying to sneak past his parents as he sat on the bed. He could tell by how light the square was that it was an origami creation. He gingerly opened it, getting glitter all over his hands. 

It was a bear. A lime green bear. 

While small, it was intricate in it’s design, and must have taken her a while to complete. And the bear wasn’t the only thing in the box. Inside, there was also a paper crown. Much too small for anyone to actually wear, but he understood the sentiment. The folded paper taped to it read:  _ “For Allison. People give gifts for senior grads, right? _ ” There was a smiley face with its tongue sticking out at the bottom. It should have made him smile. He should feel thankful for the gifts, for Stella’s thoughtfulness. Instead, all it did was make him immeasurably sad. Stella would never get a graduation, would probably never get  _ gifts _ . Stella, who was Allison’s age, who was taken from the life she had before.

Chris will go home tomorrow, enjoy the scenery as he drives. Stella would never get her license, will never have a home to go to. Chris will be able to hug his wife and daughter, to tell them he loves them. Stella will never have a relationship, will never find someone to love or have a family with. Stella was given plain pieces of paper and made them into something beautiful. She was a girl with guts, a clever mind, and artistic talent, and no one will ever really know it. Most of the people that had been captured were young. How many had that taken over the years? 

For the first time in a very long time, Chris Argent cried. 


	14. Chpt. 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The spell is done, a riot begins, and Chris makes a crucial decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter to make up for the super short previous chapter. Also, the Latin was done using Google translate, so I have no idea how accurate it is. As the spell requires the blood of the caster, Stella has to injure herself. She doesn't do it because she wants to hurt herself, but if it's still a trigger for you, skip the paragraph right before the third part of the chant.

After confirming that Erica had rallied the troops, and that Isaac had the fresh rainwater, Stella steeled her resolve. She had her makeshift pack, but ultimately she was on her own when it came to magic. It actually seemed to be a pretty straightforward spell, but everything had to be perfect. The exact amount of water, the precise amount of blood, at the correct time of night, as well as speaking an incantation that, from what she could tell, was in Latin. Her stomach churned with nerves. Her injuries were healing more quickly than a human’s, but she had to reserve as much energy as she could, so they were still there, still noticeable. The echoes of pain helped to clear her head. 

Listening intently, she could hear many voices outside her unit. Gerard’s efforts to keep her in line by increasing the guards had worked in their favor. The more that surrounded her, the less there were around everybody else. 

It was time to begin. 

  
  
  


“This is such bullshit,” O’neill said after a yawn. “Night after night, we stand out here like  _ idiots _ , while Argent is all nice and warm in his bed.”

“Yeah,” Jeremy agreed, slowly pacing in a small circle. “But the pay is good.” 

“Could be better. I used to work in private security. That paid pretty well, too. And I didn’t have to deal with these freaks.” He slammed his hand down on the side of the unit, hoping he scared the wendigo inside it. 

“You better quit complaining, or Argent will toss you out on your ass.”

O’neill scoffed. “Yeah, right. I’d love to see him try.” The wind blew heavily, rattling the trees around them. Leaves rustled, crickets chirped, and some birds flew away in the distance. 

“This place gives me the creeps, sometimes.” Jeremy paced in his circle again, eyeing the darkness in the distance warily. 

“Whatever,” O’neill muttered. He sat down against the unit he was overseeing, and laid his rifle beside him. “Wake me when it’s time to switch out.” He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. “Gonna get some damn shut eye if it kills me.” 

“You really shouldn’t have said that,” a deep voice called out from the shadows, startling both the men. 

“The fuck,” Jeremy exclaimed, firing a shot out where he thought the voice was coming from. O’neill had quickly gotten to his feet and wielded his gun. 

“You’re not a very good shot,” another voice, this one female, sounded behind them. O’neill and Jeremy backed up against each other so they were facing opposite directions. 

“We’re gonna kill you!” Jeremy shouted. 

“Yeah, right,” Erica mocked, as she stepped out of the shadows. Her gold eyes flickered brightly. “I’d love to see you try.”

Before O’neill could get a shot off, he was attacked from the side by a chimera he didn’t even realize was there. 

Erica’s howl rang through the night. 

  
  
  


After hearing the obvious howl of a werewolf, the majority of the extra guards positioned outside of her cell abandoned their posts and took off towards the fight. Each of them had their guns at the ready as the sounds of their footsteps faded in the distance. 

“What do we do now?” asked one of the guards. He was young and wide eyed, and clearly looking for guidance.

“I don’t know,” replied the other, voice shaking. “Call it in, I guess?” He didn’t sound sure, but he took his phone out anyway. “Don’t watch me! Keep your eyes on the perimeter.” The boy turned around frantically, pointing his rifle towards the shadows. 

Before the other guard could dial the first number, he had been snatched up and dragged to the side of the unit, out of sight. The boy turned around, his hands shaking so badly that his gun was shaking with them. He hesitantly walked forward, extending his neck as far as it would go in order to get a glimpse of what was beside the unit. Two clawed hands instantly grabbed him by the shirt and, with a fading scream, dragged him to his doom. 

Silence rang out for a moment, before the front door opened. Isaac stood there, silhouetted by the moonlight. 

“Erica?” Stella asked. 

“Erica,” Isaac confirmed, nodding once. He handed the water bottle to his friend. There were bloody fingerprints on it. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” 

“No,” she shook her head. “They’ll need you out there.” 

“Alright, just be careful.” He pulled her into his arms, being mindful of her still healing injuries. She squeezed quickly and released him. “Go.”

Isaac nodded and flashed his gold eyes before taking off. 

Stella wasted no time in grabbing the clear sandwich bag out of her pocket. She hadn’t had access to a bowl recently, and she wouldn’t have been able to hide it since her room had been stripped bare. So, she made do with what she had, and saved the plastic bag that came with her lunch one day. She hoped it would suffice.

Stepping outside of her prison, she sat the bag down on the ground, and gazed up at the dark sky above her, where the new moon was shining brightly. She took a deep breath in, released it, and started chanting. 

_ Lux gratium nova lumen est scriptor _

_ (By the grace of the new moon’s light) _

_ sum nocte excitare potestatibus _

_ (I call to the powers that be on this night) _

She poured two cup's worth of water into the bag, and continued. 

_ secus aquas aetheres _

_ (By the water of the skies) _

_ illa quaero ligat segregare _

_ (I seek to sever these binds) _

She glanced up as the overhead lights flickered. Stella then submerged her cuffed wrist into the bag, the water barely grazing over her wrist. In lieu of a knife, Stella had swiped the cheap plastic King from the chessboard Chris had brought. She pulled it out of her pocket, and snapped it in half until there was a sharp point. Digging it into her arm, she hissed in pain, and watched as the blood trickled down, covering the bracelet and turning the clear water a dull red. She reached in to cup some water in her palm, pouring it over the top of her bracelet, where the water couldn't reach. 

  
  


_ a sanguine qui vivificat _

_ By the blood that bestows life _

  
  


_ gratis data est Saul ut purgaret ventrem meis salvus _

_ Given freely to ease my plight  _

The markings on the bracelet lit up in orange. A jolt of electricity ran up her arm. It wasn’t painful, but it also wasn’t pleasant. With every surge of electricity, she grew weaker. It was like the binding was absorbing her spark, and draining her of life in the process. She had no idea if this was how the spell was supposed to go. Stella’s vision blurred, and for one frantic moment, she forgot the words. But the thought of getting to see her wolf in person, with his blues eyes and shiny black coat, strengthened her resolve. Sluggishly, as if drunk, she slurred out the words that marked the end of the spell. 

_ Quae mihi commorari in _

_ (By the powers that reside in me) _

_ quaero libero figam _

_ ( _ _ I seek to set myself free) _

Then everything was white. 

  
  
  


At some point, he must’ve fallen asleep, because Chris was woken up by an alarm blaring. He shot up in bed, instinct already driving him to throw back the covers, grab the pistol in the side table drawer, and find cover. He could hear footsteps running up and down the hallway. He heard someone yell out, “Red Alert! Not a drill!  _ Not _ a drill!”

At that announcement, he ran out of the room and followed the other hunters down the stairs. He saw Miller standing nearby, checking his ammo. Chris grabbed his arm and yelled over the blaring alarm,” What happened?”

“A break out,” Miller yelled. “A big one. Those damn beasts got out because all of our guards were posted on that little bitch.”

Of course. Stella was clever, a strategist. She acted out on purpose, used her abilities to scare the other hunters, to make them think she could do some damage, even with the collar on. And they had bought it. Gerard had doubled, even tripled the amount of guards at her cell, just like she wanted him to. She had planned it all along. 

In a weird way, he felt proud of her. 

“Our guys were all distracted, and the damn shifters created a mutiny. One of them ran out and the men followed. Turns out that one was just the bait. It was suicide, and the mutt knew it. The others ganged up and escaped then, right when our backs were turned.” Miller was fuming. His face was fire truck red, and his hands shook, though that may have been from the adrenaline. 

The alarm cut off and Gerard came forward. 

“What’s the plan, boss?” Covey asked. 

“The plan, ladies and gentlemen, is to put down every last one of those monstrous creatures. Take no prisoners. I want them exterminated.” Chris took a good look at his father. Gerard seemed as composed and in control as ever, but Chris knew better. He had sweat beading on his head and upper lip. What little hair he had was wild. His shirt was untucked. All little things that told him Gerard was nervous. Maybe even scared, if Chris believed the man capable of experiencing such an emotion. 

“And the girl?”

“Bring me the girl. Alive.”

“She planned this,” Rosita yelled out from the back.

“I said to bring her back alive. I never said she had to be brought back in one piece.”

Chris’ blood ran cold at the thought. These kinds of people,  _ these _ hunters, they would do it. They would torture that girl, far worse than they ever had before. He knew it, and he couldn’t let that happen. His hands were tied before, he couldn’t have freed her. But she had busted herself out, and now his hands were free. 

He followed the others outside, and saw pure chaos. 

Supernatural and human bodies littered the ground. Werewolves were slashing, banshees were screaming, wendigos were biting. Where did half of these prisoners even come from? 

The hunters were fighting back just as fiercely. Guns and arrows crossing the air, flashbangs and noise emitters were going off left and right. Even some were duking it out with just their fists. Some hunters gave up and ran to their cars, deciding to get out while they still could. Some of the creatures stayed behind to fight, like their revenge was more important than their lives. 

Chris felt a sense of dread with his determination. How was he going to find her in all this mess?


	15. Chpt. 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris tried to find Stella. She, Erica, and Isaac try to find a way out alive. Derek basically faints like a Victorian era maiden.

Tracking in these conditions was practically impossible. All Chris could do was go to Stella’s unit, and try and follow the tracks. Bodies littered the ground, some cold and still, others barely clinging to life. He didn’t stop to help them. 

He felt like a coward as he hid away from the fighting, sneaking behind buildings and using vehicles as shields, but he had more important things to worry about than battle. He felt like he had been searching forever. 

“Argent,” a voice called out nearby. Chris turned to see a fellow guard, Coulsen, running up to him. He was a middle aged man, who was overweight and had a rapidly receding hairline. His shirt was covered in sweat stains, and he was heaving in breaths. “We gotta go to the front,” Coulsen ordered in his thick Southern accent. “Gerard says we gotta regroup.”

Chris shook his head. “There’s more work to be done around here. You go ahead.” He turned back around, hoping that would be the end of the conversation. Coulsen wasn’t having it, and he blocked Chris’ path. 

“Are you crazy?! This place is getting overrun. We took out a bunch of those beasts, but there’s still a lot left. I had no idea there were that many.” He seemed to be talking to himself with that last part. 

“Exactly,” Chris said, getting frustrated. He was losing time. “There’s many left, and I need to take care of the situation. You go back to my father, tell him I’ll join him as soon as I can.”

Coulsen grabbed his arm roughly. “I don’t think so. Gerard would have my hide if I let his only son get killed. You’re coming back with me.”

Chris swung his gun around swiftly, knocking Coulsen in the face with the end of it. The big brute went down like a fallen tree, and Chris watched for a moment as the blood trickled from the man’s face. He would have a hard time justifying that action to his father, but with every second he lost, the farther away Stella got, so it couldn’t be helped. 

Trekking on, and trying to ignore the gunfire and shouts in the distance, he made his way to the treeline. If he were a prisoner trying to escape, that’s where he would go. Out of the corner of his eye, movement caught his attention. He stared intently into the darkness, but could see nothing. He brought his attention back to the wooded area, where he saw a flash of blonde hair run through.  _ Erica _ , he thought. Stella had talked about her enough, he knew they were close. Where Erica was, Stella would be, too. Finally, he felt relief. 

That relief was short lived, however, when another streak of movement caught him by surprise. “Well, well, well,” said the young boy, slinking out of the shadows. He was a wendigo, Chris knew. Wolfsbane bullets wouldn’t keep a wendigo down for long, but it was all he had. Still, he hoped he wouldn’t have to use them. 

“An Argent all by his lonesome? Lucky me.” The boy smiled widely, his row of pointed teeth making him look that much more unnatural. He had a crazed look in his eye. 

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Chris ventured, trying to slowly sidestep the boy. 

“Oh, but I want to hurt you,” he slithered, matching Chris’ pace as they moved in a slow-moving circle, like a planet orbiting the sun. Chris cocked his gun, and pointed it at the boy. 

“I don’t  _ want _ to hurt you,” he repeated. “But I will.”

The smile slid off the wendigo’s face. “I’ve been hurt by your kind before. I can take it. In fact, I think it’s time I returned the favor.” Faster than Chris’ eyes could follow, the boy had sped over and knocked him to the ground. He hastily returned to his feet, before he was knocked down again, this time when the creature went for his legs. He hit the ground even harder that time, and it winded him. He was thankful that it was earth underneath him instead of a concrete slab. 

Not give the hunter time to think, the wendigo pounced on top of him. He opened up his mouth, and unlocked his jaw so it would become wider. Row upon row of sharp fangs shone in the moonlight. He reared his head back, before launching forward to rip the Argent’s throat out. Chris, however, was expecting this, and instead of the teeth closing around his jugular, they closed around the metal of his rifle. Time and time again, the wendigo chomped down, drool seeping from his mouth as he became ravenous. Chris twisted and squirmed and struggled, trying to knock the boy off of him, to no avail. For someone so young and malnourished, he was strong. Fear and adrenaline could do that to a person, as could rage. This boy, barely fifteen years old at the most, contained all three. 

Gazing at the feral eyes of his assailant, Chris whispered, “I’m sorry.” 

Surprised, maybe even a little stunned, the creature stopped chomping. The confusion of the moment gave Chris just enough time to pull his leg up and reach into his boot to grab the silver knife he had stored there. Regaining his sense, the wendigo let out an inhuman screech before shoving his mouth down again. Chris had turned just enough for the bite to avoid his neck, and the teeth lodged into his shoulder instead. He gave a short grunt of pain before plunging the knife into the boy’s throat. Chris closed his eyes, not wanting to see the shock on the creature's face, and grabbed the back of his head, pulling it back so the teeth dislodged themselves. He shoved the now unmoving body off of him, and it rolled to the side. Grabbing his gun, and ignoring the tiny scratches in the metal, he looked down at the limp body.

The knife was still plunged in it’s neck, and it’s eyes were wide open. Chris’ own blood stained it’s mouth. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and forced himself to keep going. He had a mission to complete, after all. 

  
  
  
  


Isaac and Erica were running behind her, wolfed out and panting. Erica was bleeding profusely from a head wound, staining her blonde hair red. Isaac was limping along as fast as he could. Stella’s left hand was finally free of it’s cuff. The skin was rubbed raw and was a dark pink. She had been wearing it so long, the line would probably never fade completely. Every cold gust of wind made it burn. 

But it was gone! It was almost laughable how simple the spell was, how easily it had freed her. Stella had expected it to drain her, to leave her weak and unsteady. Instead, it did the opposite. The exhilaration, the relief, the  _ power _ she felt once it was broken was immense. It filled her up in a way she hadn’t felt in years, before settling inside of her. She could feel the magic everywhere. In her blood, her bones, her skin, even in the very air she  _ breathed _ . 

Stella damn near cried when she was able to reach her spark. It had reached back, elated and satisfied, like a greeting between long lost friends. She knew the foreign feeling she had in her gut was excitement. 

An arrow swirled past her, narrowly missing her head. She looked over and saw two hunters, one loading their crossbow, the other aiming theirs at Isaac. 

Isaac, who was like her brother. A boy she had known since childhood, a boy who had taken beatings for her, confided in her. He trusted her, and she trusted in return. Isaac was still healing, and wouldn’t be able to move quick enough to dodge the arrow. 

And Erica, who she got into all this. Who was tricked into saying yes to the bite so she could be rid of the epilepsy holding her back, only to be caged again. A girl who was a good friend, who was fierce and confident and always cracked jokes with her. Erica had lost a lot of blood, would be weak, easy prey. 

Stella felt anger surge through her. This was her pack. They had been hurt enough. She reached for her spark and sent a wave of energy out like a force field. It knocked the hunters back with such force that she could hear bones snapping. One sailed through the air and hit a tree. His body fell to the ground in a contorted heap. The other was laying flat on their back, and hadn’t moved. 

Isaac and Erica looked at each other with twin stares of shock, then turned their head back to her. 

“Huh,” said Erica, blood still dripping down her face. “Useful.”

“Yep,” agreed Stella, smiling proudly. “Very.”

“Um, ladies?” Isaac interrupted, his head tilted to the side, no doubt listening to the sounds of fighting in the background. “I think we should keep moving.”

“Spoilsport.” Erica stuck her tongue out at him, a childish quirk she had never outgrown. 

Though they had no actual idea of where they were going, they marched on. 

  
  
  


“It’s been hours,” Talia said, looking down at the prone form of her son. “He should have woken up by now.”

“There’s no way of knowing, honey,” Robert comforted. She turned her brown eyed gaze on her husband, staring intently into the eyes that were the same shade of green as her boy’s. “Magic isn’t always predictable. You know this.” The dark haired man wrapped his arms around his wife. 

“He wasn’t even dreaming this time, Rob. He was wide awake, and then he just...collapsed.” 

Robert wished there was something he could do or say to comfort his wife, who rarely showed any weaknesses, even to him. He had never seen her look so vulnerable. Getting Laura’s frantic call that he needed to get home because Derek had passed out and wasn’t waking up, was a moment that he will never be able to forget. He had definitely broken the speed limit on the way home, and all but burst through the door. The tension and concern in the house was palpable. 

Laura had explained that everything was fine, they were just all watching a movie together, when Derek had passed out. At first, she had thought he just fell asleep, but when she found she couldn’t wake him, she panicked. Talia was nearly sick with worry, and Deaton being as cryptic as usual didn’t help matters. 

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Talia said, glaring at her emissary. It was the first time any of them had seen her get angry at the druid. Alan also seemed shocked. 

“You said that once she had enough to complete the spell, that she would do it on her  _ own _ ,” Talia fumed. “Why did she drain him again?”

“They have been dream sharing for years, Talia. Their bond, thought weakened by time and distance, is still present. Trying to complete an action as powerful and as meaningful as breaking the containment spell, their connection must have solidified more. I doubt it was even intentional.”

Though that answer seemed to calm Talia down some, she had still paced the room back and forth for hours. Finally, Rob had convinced his wife to take a break, get some fresh air. It did little to settle the wolf in her. 

Now, here they stood, staring down at the still body of their son, hoping that he would wake soon. 


	16. Chpt. 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella, Isaac, and Erica get some unexpected help. Talia tells John what's up. Stilinski-McCall family feels. Heartfelt sibling conversations between Talia and Peter, and Derek and Laura.

“I’ve got to stop,” Stella wheezed, leaning against a tree before sliding down. The other two slowed to a halt. 

“Are you okay?” Erica asked. She placed a hand on Stella’s back and started to rub in slow circles. 

“Yeah. Not all of us have werewolf stamina.” She was joking, trying to lighten the mood. Really, she wasn’t feeling too well. The initial burst of magical energy she had felt had been an enormous relief. She felt powerful, capable, and like her spark had finally ignited. Now, she was weakening. Whether it was because of exhaustion, magical drainage, or the other two binders she still had on, she wasn’t sure. It actually kind of scared her, but she wasn’t about to tell the two betas that, though Stella figured they could probably smell it. 

“We can stay here long,” Isaac reminded apologetically. “We’re still too close to the Armory.

“He’s right. It’s too dangerous to stop now. We can carry you.”

“No. I just need like five minutes, then I’ll be good as new.”

Erica raised a skeptical eyebrow. It was a look that said  _ I know you too well by now, and if you think you can fool me then you are a complete dumbass.  _

Stella had been on the receiving end of that look many times. 

Isaac checked on Erica’s healing head wound while they waited. Stella looked up at the sky, at the new moon that had played a part in helping her. She looked at the stars in wonder. They shined so brightly out here. The air was cool, and the sounds of crickets chirping created a melodic lullaby. Under different circumstances, she would find it peaceful out here. 

Stella also thought about her dad. She wondered if he was okay, if he was happy. The thought of seeing him again, of being held in his arms and squeezed tightly, made her eyes sting. Would he want to see her again? What if he had moved on by now? Maybe he was remarried, or had more children. She wasn’t even sure if he was still in Beacon Hills after all this time.

And what about Derek? Her wolf, her protector, her guide. He was her friend. What if he didn’t want to see her after all? Maybe he would be disappointed when he saw her. With pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, and scraggly hair, she wasn’t much to look at. She was too thin, had too many moles. What if he decided he wasn’t interested in her anymore?

“Hey,” Erica said softly. “Don’t get too lost in your head, okay? I’m worried, too.” 

Of course she was. God, she was being so selfish, thinking about just herself when Erica was facing the same questions in regards to her own family. 

“Everything’s going to be okay, Erica.”

“You don’t know that. What happens if we find our way back to them, and they don’t want me because I’m not human anymore?” Erica, for all her ferocity and temperamental disposition, was also fragile underneath. She had spent her childhood in a protective bubble, and when she was being smothered by her family, she was making visits to the hospital for medicine adjustments, and being excluded at school. She put up such a good front, that it was easy to forget how vulnerable she really was. 

“That’s impossible. They’ll always love you. How could they not?” Stella rose to her feet and pulled her friend into a hug.

“Yeah,” Isaac agreed. He walked over to the girls and put his arms around both of them. “Plus, we’re your family, too. Congratulations, you’re stuck with us.” 

They all smiled at that, relieved as the mood lifted. Stella was about to suggest they get moving, when they heard a twig snap nearby. The wolves immediately flanked her as they surveyed the darkness. 

Footsteps approached. Someone was treading lightly through the underbrush, moving ever closer. The first thing that the moonlight revealed to them was the glint of a silver pistol peeking out from the trees. Chris Argent walked through, with one hand on his bloody shoulder, and the other gripping his gun like a lifeline. 

“What are you doing here?” Erica growled. 

“Helping you escape,” Chris replied, catching them by surprise. In fact, his response shocked Erica so much, it seemed like she forgot to be angry. 

“We don’t have a lot of time. The fight is dying down at the Armory, but the hunters are regrouping. You need to get out of here before they come this way.” He looked between the three of them, before settling his calculating gaze on Isaac. “Can you drive?”

“What?” His face was scrunched up in confusion, looking every bit like a puppy.

“Can. You. Drive?”

Erica looked at him like he had grown an extra head. Isaac’s face screwed up even more, like Chris was speaking in tongues. 

“Isaac can.” Stella acknowledged, unable to look away from Chris. Was he really going to go against his own family to help them? As much as she wanted to trust him, he was still an Argent. 

“Good. Take my keys. My truck is parked north of here, near the bottom of the ridge. It’s got a full tank. You drive and you don’t stop, understand?” 

“You’re serious?” Erica surmised. Chris didn’t dignify that with a response. 

“But what about you? If they find out you let us go…” Stella didn’t need to finish the sentence, he knew perfectly well what would happen to him. 

“I can’t stop you if I’m unconscious. One of you will have to knock me out,” Chris said trepidatiously, looking at Erica and Isaac. 

Isaac stared wide eyed at Chris. “Oh...I’m not sure tha-”

“I’ll do it!’ 

“Careful, Erica.” Stella warned. 

“I’ll be gentle...mostly.” Erica actually looked  _ excited _ at the prospect of causing bodily harm. 

Fighting against his own instincts wasn’t easy, but he needed to help these kids. If he didn’t, he might never be able to look his own kid in the eyes ever again. He was letting them escape. He was giving them his truck. But those seemed like such small gestures. So, he did the most helpful thing he could think of to do.

“Beacon Hills is about eight hours southwest of here,” he told Stella, who looked so small standing next to the trunk of a giant oak tree. “Take I-84 South. It's pretty much a straight shot. There’s some money in the glovebox if you need to refuel, but don’t stop unless you have to.”

The advice barely left his mouth when Stella put her arms around him. She hugged him tightly, and though he refrained from returning the gesture, he felt like he  _ wanted _ to. Still, it was awkward. Stella didn’t seem to notice. She pulled back, and gave him a big, grateful smile. Erica stepped forward, cracking her knuckles menacingly. She was also smiling, but in a way that was much more menacing. In fact, it could only be described as,  _ well _ , wolfish. 

He handed his keys over to Isaac, who gave him a simple nod of gratitude. Erica, with a fanged smile and blood crusted hair, looked absolutely deranged. Why did he think this was a good idea?

“You’re not so bad, old man.”

Chris was going to explain to her where to hit, and with how much force, but his whole world went black before he had the chance.

  
  


Claire’s was a hole in the wall diner. Nondescript red brick, with a cracked sidewalk in front of it, didn’t exactly make it look impressive. Out-of-towners passing through wouldn’t even know it was there, due to the lack of a sign. But for all it’s flaws on the outside, the interior made up for it. There was a real 50’s vibe, with it’s teal walls, red leather booths, and checkerboard tiles. There were stools sitting up by the counter, and the place was well lit. Pictures of Old Hollywood stars lined the walls. The only thing that was missing was a jukebox. 

Every Saturday, John, Claudia, and Stella would go there and order pancakes. His and Claudia’s would be plain and Stella’s chocolate chip. When his wife got sick, their visits became less frequent, until eventually they stopped coming altogether. After Stella disappeared, John could even look at the place, wouldn’t drive by it.

Then, on what would have been Stella’s thirteenth birthday, he finally plucked up the courage to go in again. Annabelle, a middle aged woman with tawny hair and a warm smile, had been working at Claire’s for as long as it’s been open. She gave him a seat at the back where no one would see him. She immediately poured him some coffee, probably because she smelled the whiskey on his breath. She didn’t bother asking him what he wanted, she already knew. 

After that, it became easier, almost therapeutic, for him to go. Normally, he came alone. Today,Talia Hale would be joining him. He had gotten to know the Hale’s well over the years, especially Derek. The two men had bonded over their mutual loss, and had actually become fairly close over the years, going fishing and playing in the yearly charity baseball game between the precinct and the fire department. He was a good kid who got dealt a few bad hands, and took it in stride. Stella would have liked him. 

“The usual, Sheriff?” Annabelle asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Make it two today. I’m going to have company.” The shock on her face made him hide his smile behind his coffee cup before taking a sip. 

“Two of everything,” she scribbled on her notepad. “Coming right up.”

John was sipping on his coffee and enjoying the sun rays shining through the large windows, when he heard the bell above the door chime. A few seconds later, Talia gracefully slid into the other side of the booth. 

“Hello, John.”

“Hi, Talia. I took the liberty of ordering for both of us, I hope that’s okay.”

She smiled kindly. “That’s just fine. There’s not a single dish here that I don’t like.”

“It’s addictive, that’s for sure.” A silence followed, though it wasn’t awkward. Still, Sheriff Stilinski’s curiosity got the best of him. “You said you had something important to discuss?”

Her brown eyes bore into his own, and she nodded. “Yes, it’s quite urgent.”

John sat up straighter at that, his expression turning from relaxed to serious. Going from normal guy to the Sheriff like a flip was switched. “Alright. I’m all ears.” 

Talia had her hands on the table, fiddling with her fingers. It was a nervous gesture that was completely unlike her. That just concerned him more. Her shoulders were slumped in exhaustion, and John could tell he was concerned about something. “Most humans can never fully understand what having a bond means, or what losing one feels like. It’s a bond that forms naturally. Some call it fate, others say it is a choice. Really, it’s a combination of both.”

“I’m afraid I’m not following, Talia.”

She smiled self-deprecatingly. “I’m a rambler when I get nervous. Claudia used to tease me mercilessly about it.”

They both chose to ignore the aches in their chests at the mention of her name. “What are you so nervous about?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this. There isn’t really a way to prepare a speech on this particular subject, so I’ll just say my piece, and you can ask questions after. Alright?”

He didn’t like where this was going, but he nodded. 

Talia took a deep breath in and met the Sheriff’s eyes. “We have reason to believe that Stella may still be alive. Derek has apparently been dreaming about her for years. He never told anyone because he thought that they were  _ just _ dreams. But now we think he may have been dream sharing with her. We’ve been trying to...communicate with her through them, and we found out her spark is being bound so she can barely use it, or only use it for what her captors want, at least. We’ve found a way to break the spell, and she’s been taking Derek’s energy almost every night. He’s completely exhausted, but we think they were successful.” She paused, and looked at the Sheriff worriedly. 

The older man just sat there, stunned into silence. His face was expressionless, but inside John was feeling a multitude of emotions. Anger that Talia would dangle the hope of seeing his daughter in front of him like that. Elated that she might still be out there. Devastated that someone was using her. Confused at how this all came to be. Several other feelings made themselves known, and he may have gone into shock a bit. 

“And you’re sure it’s her?” John asked. His throat was so dry. 

Talia nodded. “We believe so. By the way Derek describes what remains of their bond, it sounds real. ”

“I don’t understand how that’s possible. His eyes...they changed.” 

Talia nodded somberly. “I know. I’m not sure how to explain it.” 

After that day when the Sheriff had shown up on their doorstep drunk and clutching Stella’s red hoodie, Derek’s eyes had changed to blue. It was something that happens when a werewolf loses their mate, and it only solidified to Derek the knowledge that she was truly gone. That night, her boy had stared at his reflection for hours, refusing to look away. He couldn’t escape what that color meant, none of them could. Peter, who was the only other pack member with blue eyes, was the only person who really understood. He didn’t say anything to Derek. He simply came up and put his arm around Derek’s shoulder. It was a gesture that her brother rarely displayed. 

“Alan thinks that because he  _ thought _ he lost her, and because that belief was so strong, that it changed them. Robert thinks it’s more to do with the guilt Derek feels at being unable to protect her, otherwise they should have changed back when he realized she was still out there. Both are just theories, though.”

They halted their conversation as Annabelle came by and served their food. Once she left, John asked, “ _ Can _ they change back?”

“I don’t know,” Talia shrugged. “Theoretically, I suppose yes. I’ve never heard of it happening, but these are unusual circumstances.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” John muttered, his eyes softening. “Derek and I have talked about this guilt stuff before. Not a single thing was his fault, but he never seems to believe me when I tell him that.”

“He doesn’t listen when we tell him that, either.” 

A few moments passed as the Sheriff tried to think of what to say. His little girl might still be alive. He couldn’t wrap his head around it. He had grieved, had buried an empty coffin right beside his wife’s. 

Before emotion could get the better of him, he took a deep breath and gained control of himself. He could fall apart later, but right now he needed to think straight. He needed to  _ know _ . “How likely is it that this spell worked?”

“It’s impossible to say for certain. She took a lot from Derek. Almost too much.” Talia tried not to let the bitterness seep into her voice. She knew it wasn’t really Stella’s fault, but it was her  _ boy _ . “He feels like everything has gone according to plan, but his connection to her is still so faint, that he’s also trying to steel himself for disappointment, I think. He doesn’t want to lose her all over again.” 

“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”

“Exactly.” Talia sipped her coffee. “I am sorry I didn’t come to you sooner with this. I wanted to be as sure as I could be before bringing it to you. It’s a delicate topic.”

“I understand. I don’t  _ like _ it, but I understand. Thank you, Talia. I mean it.”

“Truly, it’s Derek that’s been doing all the work. That boy has never slept so much in his life,” Talia laughed, though it was tinged with worry. “I choose to believe that everything will work out. To my knowledge, this is an unprecedented situation. We’re going to need a lot of luck.”

John took the last swig of his coffee and held it up as Annabelle walked by and wordlessly filled it back up. He straightened his shoulders, and put on his best  _ I’m the Sheriff  _ face. 

“Hope, Talia. Not luck.  _ Hope _ .”

  
  
  
  


Scott was slicing up some cilantro to add to a vinaigrette, while his mom shredded some chicken before adding it back to the slow cooker. They heard the door open and close, heard John’s keys getting tossed into the paper mache bowl that Scott had made years ago, when he was in the Cub Scouts. Normally, John would come in and give Melissa a kiss, ruffle Scott’s hair, and then head upstairs to change out of his uniform. Today, he did none of those things. 

“Hi, honey,” Melissa greeted, as she bustled around the kitchen. John stumbled into the room like a zombie, making her pause. “John, what’s wrong?”

“Derek thinks Stella is alive,” John blurted out. 

Scott froze mid chop, while Melissa almost dropped the bowl of salad she was carrying. “What?” she whispered, bewildered. 

John made his way over to the table as if on autopilot, before collapsing into the chair that Scott had hurriedly pulled out for him. He buried his head in his hands, and his shoulders shook from his silent sobs. 

“John,” Melissa said softly. She had no idea what to say.

His voice was muffled by his hands as he confessed, “I don’t know what to believe anymore, Mel. If she’s been alive this whole time....I stopped searching. I  _ gave up  _ on her. I stopped…”

“John,” Melissa said, sitting down in the chair beside him. She rested her hand on his arm. “Don’t do this to yourself. You did  _ everything _ you could.”

“Why does he think she’s alive?” Scott asked quietly. “I thought when their eyes turned blue, that meant their mate died?”

“That  _ is _ what it means,” his mom assured him. “We see it often enough at the hospital. Honey, there’s just no way.” She said it as gently as she could. 

John finally brought his head out of his hands. She had never seen him look so lost. “My head knows you’re making sense. But my heart, Mel,” he gazed at her pleadingly, the tears in his eyes threatening to spill over. “My heart tells me there’s still a chance. It’s my  _ daughter _ .”

The Stilinski-McCall household was silent. John looked every bit the broken man she had known years ago, the man who had lost his wife and then immediately lost his daughter, and almost destroyed himself in the process. 

She already helped him get through losing Stella once, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do it again. 

  
  
  


“How did it go?” Peter asked from his position on the couch. He had a book in his hand, but Talia could tell by his spaced out gaze that he hadn’t been reading it. It still made her ache to see her brother when he got like that. Peter was always shrewd, aware of his surroundings and aware of the people around him. But after Evelyn died, he changed. He was still the same intelligent, obnoxious brother that she had always known, but every now and then, he would space out like he was seeing something else. 

“About as well as can be expected,” she sighed, plopping down beside him and leaning her head on his shoulder. “It was stressful.”

“I imagine so. You did have to tell the Sheriff of the town that his daughter wasn’t dead, that he had essentially grieved for nothing, and that she was trying to find her way back to him with the help of a mystical werewolf connection. Only an idiot would think that easy.”

“You have such a way with words, little brother.”

“I know. I’m the looks  _ and _ the brains in this family.”

Talia elbowed him in the side. “You wish.”

They basked in comfortable silence for a while, before Peter’s scent grew serious. “As difficult as this ordeal has already been, it may get even worse if she does return. You do know that, don’t you?”

“If you’re asking if I’ve thought of all the ways their reunion could go wrong, the answer is yes.”

“I’m not just talking about Derek. Whoever took her will want her back, and we know they have a magic user who is powerful enough to do a triple binding on a spark. We’re inviting trouble.”

“I know,” she acknowledged. “But my son has the chance to get his mate back. What kind of mother, and alpha, would I be if I denied him that?”

“I’m not saying that bad choices were made here. All I’m saying is that we should be prepared. We don’t know what’s coming next, and that puts us at a disadvantage.”

“Let me guess, you already have a plan?”

“Oh, dear sister. I have  _ several _ plans.” 

  
  


“You’re like an old man. You go to sleep at like  _ seven _ now. You drink smelly tea while reading in bed. God, you’re weird.”

“Thank you, Laura. You can leave now.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Nice try, doofus.” Laura flung herself onto the bed and snatched the book out of Derek’s hands. She peered at him judgmentally. “Gulliver’s Travels, really?”

“I got tired of rereading the ones I had, so Cora went to the library and picked it out.”

“You let Cora pick out a book? Cora doesn’t read, Der. I’m not even sure she  _ can _ read. I’ve never seen her do it.”

Derek rolled his eyes before snatching the book back. “Can’t you leave me to suffer in peace.”

“Nope. I’m your older sister. It’s in my contract to bug the shit out of you until one of us dies.”

“Knowing you, you'll haunt me from the afterlife.”

“Hey! What makes you think I’ll die first?”

Derek snorted. “Because I’ve met you? You are definitely going to die before me.”

“Whatever,” she huffed. “Let’s stop talking about death. It’s too morbid.” Laura sat up and turned towards Derek, criss crossing her legs. “Let’s talk about Stella. Specifically, about why you didn’t tell me about Stella.” 

Laura played it off like it was no big deal, but Derek knew better. It didn’t just annoy her that he had kept it secret, it had hurt her, too. Of all his siblings, Derek was closer to Laura by far. The two were often mistaken for twins, with their matching black hair and green eyes. 

“I didn’t mean to leave you out on purpose. I just...wanted to be sure it was real. I know you worry a lot about all of us, especially me.” Derek cut her off before she could deny it. “And I’m grateful I have you looking out for me. I didn’t want to give you more reasons to worry.”

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. “I guess I can forgive you.”

“That’s very generous of you,” he humored. 

Laura’s gaze softened. “ _ Are _ you okay? I mean, this is a big deal, and I’ve never heard of this kind of stuff happening. Even fucking  _ Deaton _ wasn’t sure what was going on.”

Knowing he couldn’t lie to Laura, he confessed, “I’m scared. Scared that she won’t want anything to do with me, or that she’ll blame me for not saving her. What if she’s found someone else, or doesn’t want to be with a werewolf? If she doesn’t want any of this, I don’t know what I’ll do. I don’t think I can let her go a second time.”

“Der,” she shook her head. “You can’t keep that shit inside your head. You need to let it out, talk to us. You’re so closed off sometimes. It’s not a bad thing, but it makes it hard to read you. You have to let us help, baby bro.”

“I know. I’ll try.”

“And if you’re going to obsess over the what ifs, then at least put a positive spin on them. What if she falls in love with you? What if she’s really excited to meet the man behind the wolf? What if she’s scared too, and thinking the same things about you, that you’re thinking about her?” 

He had never thought of it like that. He didn’t dare hope. But the way Laura said those things, made them sound so easy to believe. 

“Yeah. I guess I could take a different perspective.”

“See,” she punched him in the arm before handing him his book back and rising off the bed. “You should always listen to your big sis, dork. I am all-knowing and all-seeing. Usually.”

Derek scoffed, but didn’t actually deny it. Laura really was the best. 

She paused in his doorway, and turned back to him. “Love you, Der.”

“Love you, too, Laura.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be the longest chapter yet. I had difficulty with this one in regards to the timeline. I wanted the first part to take place at the same night of the spell, and the rest of the chapter taking place the next morning, while the terrible threesome were still heading on the road back home. Not sure if it came across that way, though. I'm not sure if I'm happy with it or not, so let me know what you think!


	17. Chpt. 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erica, Isaac, and Stella get in a car chase, and then a foot chase. Derek has all the feels. Laura frets about her baby bro. John and Parrish are just so done with civilians. One of their former guard's gets what he deserves. And we get a taste of a happy reunion.

The trio had stopped a couple of hours ago to refuel. They got a bottle of water and some jerky before hitting the road again, not wanting to risk staying in one spot for too long. Chris’ warning them to not stop was fresh in their minds. Isaac drove as fast as he could, while trying not to get pulled over by cops. They refused to trust anyone until they were back in Beacon Hills. There were a few times when they thought they were being followed, but the vehicles always turned or changed direction, so they figured they were just paranoid.

The  _ Welcome to Beacon Hills _ sign was green and garish, with rusted edges and faded lettering. To them, however, it was like a beacon of hope. Nervous energy and excitement warred inside Stella, and she could tell Erica was the same way. Isaac, normally more subdued out of the three, had more of an anxious curiosity. 

They crossed the town border, and Stella felt a wave of  _ something _ pass through her. It felt like magic, but Stella didn’t mention it to the other two, since they didn’t seem to notice. They had enough on their minds. 

“Now that we’re here,” began Isaac. “Where exactly are we going?”

“I told you my dad was a deputy. If he still lives here, he’ll be at the station,” answered Stella, voice shaking with nerves. “I’m trying to remember how to get there. I think there’s another road coming up, and we turn off there.”

“Uh, guys? I think we have company.” Erica, who was sitting in the back, emitted a warning growl as she twisted around and stared behind them. Stella looked in the passenger side mirror at the two black SUVs right on their tail. 

“Where the hell did they come from?” Isaac floored the gas.

“I don’t know. They must have taken back roads or something. How did they know we were coming here?”

Isaac slapped his hands against the steering wheel in frustration. “GPS. God, we’re so stupid. They tracked us.”

Erica’s growling intensified. “I knew we never should have trusted that hunter!”

I’m sure he didn’t mean for this to happen,” Stella said, not entirely believing her own words. The hesitation must have come through in her voice.

“He’s a fucking  _ Argent _ , Stella! Of course he wanted this to happen.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Isaac yelled, his eyes now gold. “It happened, they’re here. What do we do now?”

A road was up ahead on the left, consisting of dirt and gravel. Stella pointed to it and Isaac swerved over, jarring the girls. 

“Isaac, you better not kill us!”

“He’s not going to kill us, Erica. Mostly because you’re a werewolf and will heal. He’s going to kill  _ me _ .”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, ladies.”

Gunshots rang out behind them, cracking the rear glass, and knocking out one of their tail lights. They all ducked as best as they could. While one of the SUV’s stayed behind them, peliting their truck with bullets, the other drove up beside them. Stella grabbed Isaac’s shirt collar and pulled him down just as the SUV’s windows rolled down and a shot flew out above their heads, breaking both the driver’s side and passenger’s side windows. Isaac swerved the truck over, bumping into the SUV and almost steering them off the road. The hunters retaliated by doing the same to them. Their truck veered dangerously to the right, almost crashing into the ditch. Isaac moved them away, but took a bullet to the shoulder for it. 

“Stop the truck,” Erica ordered. 

“What?!” Isaac and Stella exclaimed simultaneously. 

“Just do it! On three!”

Stella shared a disbelieving look with Isaac, but they did as they were told. 

“One!” Stella braced her arms out against the dash, praying the air bag wouldn’t go off and pummel her face in. 

“Two!” Isaac gripped the steering wheel so tightly he thought it might break off. 

“Three!” Erica yelled, bracing herself for impact as Isaac slammed on the breaks. There was a screeching sound, and them a loud crash and a rough jolt forward as the SUV behind them crashed right into them. The man that had been shooting at them from the window obviously didn’t have his seatbelt on, and went right through the windshield, before rolling off the hood to the ground, unmoving. The driver had one hand clutched over his profusely bleeding nose. 

Erica crawled through the wide open back window, not even acknowledging the glass that was getting stuck in her hands and knees. She stood up in the bed of the truck before leaping onto the SUV’s smoking hood. With a rage filled snarl, she punched her hand through the already cracked windshield and yanked the driver through, taking his gun from him before he could fire a shot off. She punched him in the face with the pistol several times, before throwing it to the side, and slashed down his chest. Hauling him up, she tossed him to the side as well. 

The SUV that had been driving behind them had obviously not expected any of this. After driving forward, they turned the vehicle around, staring at the scene before them in shock. 

“Drive,” Stella said. Her chest ached from where the seatbelt held her, but was glad no airbag deployed. Isaac revved the engine, trying to warn the hunters that he was coming their way, in the hopes that they would just drive off. He should have known better. The hunters started driving forward towards them. Stella undid her belt and slid into the back seat, hoping for some extra cushioning, just as Erica was climbing back into the bed of the truck. 

Isaac stepped on the gas. Their truck and the SUV both were gaining speed. They were playing a dangerous game of chicken, and Stella knew that Isaac wouldn’t be stopping. She knew they  _ couldn’t _ stop. 

The hunters, or at least the one in the passenger seat, seemed to realize this as well. He looked unsuredly at his partner, and said something to him Stella couldn’t make out. She figured it was along the lines of  _ You’re crazy! They’re werewolves, they won’t die but we will!. _

Or something like that. 

Stella ducked down in the floorboard just as Erica slid through the window and covered Stella’s body with her own. The collision happened quickly. It was all loud, screeching noise. Metal scraping against metal. There was a sickening crunch, and some screams of pain. Then, the only thing that could be heard was Isaac’s erratic breathing and the sound of smoke sizzling out from under their hoods. 

Isaac tried reversing, but the truck wouldn’t start back up. “Looks like we’re walking,” he whispered breathlessly, hands still clenched around the steering wheel like it was a lifeline. 

Erica leaned off of Stella and started picking glass out of her hair. Stella willed her hands to stop shaking. Slowly, Isaac undid his belt and exited the truck, before opening the back door and helping the girls out. They were all wobbly legged, whether from impact or adrenaline, they weren’t sure. Probably both. They looked around to get their bearings. 

“Well,” Erica mused, holding both arms wide open. “Should we go to the left, where there’s woods? Or to the right, where there is  _ also _ woods?”

“I vote we go through the woods,” Isaac deadpanned. 

“Fine,” Stella huffed. “Woods it is.”

  
  
  


Deputy Parrish knocked on the Sheriff’s office door, before being given the okay to enter. “Sorry to bother you, sir. We’ve got reports of a 10-37 out by Hampstead farm.”

“A suspicious vehicle?” Sheriff Stilinski asked. They didn’t get many of those in Beacon Hills. 

“Yes, sir. Mr. Hampstead said he heard what sounded like a car crash. He also said, and I quote, ‘It sounded like some hooligans getting up to no good.’”

John sighed in exasperation. Mr. Hampstead called in a new complaint just about every other week. At this point, every dispatcher and officer knew his number by heart. “Alright. I’ll take a look. You want to come along? Since Hague is on desk duty.  _ Again _ .”

“Yes, sir.” Parrish did not want to spend another moment in Hague’s company. Ever since his partner found out that Jordan was a Hellhound, he had been keeping his distance. While most people were accepting, or at least tolerating, of supernaturals, some of them, like Hague, were speciest assholes. Hague had made some offhanded dog joke about Jordan, and Deputy Romero had reported it to the Sheriff, who immediately punished Hague by putting him on desk duty, which was everyone’s least favorite job. 

John grabbed his police belt, clicking it around his waist, before dumping his coffee cup in the trash can, and following Jordan out the door. 

  
  
  
  


Derek only got a few more chapters into his book, before he felt a strange, but not entirely unpleasant feeling in his chest. He laid there, trying to understand it. As the minutes passed, the feeling grew greater. His chest ached fiercely now. He had never felt anything like this, and he didn’t like the uncertainty. Then, like a balloon that had been popped, the feeling intensified ten fold. 

Derek shot up in bed. His heartbeat was erratic, his hands were shaking, and he felt almost like he was going to throw up. His wolf was going berserk inside. He felt restless, like there was something he was supposed to  _ do _ . The room was closing in on him, he needed to get out, to get air. 

He threw open his door, and ran over the stair banister, clutching it briefly before jumping over it, not bothering to use the stairs. Wrenching open the front door, he stepped onto the porch and took four deep breaths, just like his mom had taught him. It didn’t help. The sky, which just an hour ago was bright and clear, was now turning cloudy and gray. Thunder rumbled in the distance. 

He could hear others moving in the house. Whether they had been startled from all the noise, or because they felt his panic through the pack bonds, he wasn’t sure. But he was grateful when Laura bust out the door, and almost ran right into him. Her hair was half out of it’s ponytail, and she had pillow marks on her face, indicating she had gone back to bed. 

“What’s wrong?” She looked him over frantically. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” 

“You...don’t know?”

He shook his head. Laura looked at him like she was seriously worried for his sanity. His mother came out to join them, tying her hair up in a loose bun. 

“What is it, love? What woke you up?” Her voice was calm, but her body language said she was prepared for a fight. 

“I just feel….jittery?” That wasn’t the right word! Was there even a word for this?

“Like anxiety? A panic attack?” Laura asked, almost hopeful. She desperately wanted him to say yes, so that it would at least be a problem she knew she could help with.

“No. It’s not that.” He was getting frustrated that he couldn’t explain what he was feeling, and at how stupid he sounded. Talking was never his strength.

His mother rested her hand on his shoulder, settling his wolf. “Is it a bad feeling?”

Derek thought about it for a moment. He didn’t feel  _ bad _ , per se, he just knew there was something he was missing. Like there was a treasure just out of reach of his grasp. “No. Not really.”

“Maybe we should call Deaton,” Laura suggested, looking back and forth between him and their mom. Laura  _ hated _ Deaton, which showed just how worried she really was. 

“Not necessary, dear. I’ll take care of this.”

“But-”

“You have work this morning. You should be getting ready. Go on.” It was an obvious dismissal. Laura crossed her arms, and for a moment Derek thought that she might resist her alpha’s orders. It wouldn’t be the first time. Finally, she relented with a sigh. 

“You’ll tell me when you figure something out, though? Or if it gets worse?” She phrased them like questions, but the strength of her voice made them sound more like demands. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer, not even from their mother. Laura really was the best choice for future alpha. 

“Of course.”

“Mom.”

“I promise, Laura.” Talia’s heart was steady as she said it. She knew she couldn’t keep the pack in the dark about whatever was going on with her son. Especially not her daughter, who she knew would never give up without answers. When it came to Derek, there was nothing his sister wouldn’t do. 

“Okay,” Laura acquiesced. She pulled her brother into a hug, rubbed her hand over his back, scenting him, before giving him another once over and going inside. 

While she never made a statement about the Stella situation, word still spread through the pack. Even the members that weren’t present in Beacon Hills had called to check in. All of the bonds had felt stronger. Most of them who participated in Derek’s day to day life had given him a wide berth, which he appreciated. He needed time to process things. 

“Come on, love.” Talia placed her hand on the back of his neck, and guided him to the woods. “Let’s run for a bit. Clear your head.”

“Yeah,” he agreed breathlessly, already shedding his shirt. “That sounds good.”

  
  
  


The bracelet around Stella’s wrist and the collar around her neck were burning excruciatingly. It was all she could focus on. It wasn’t so bad at first, just uncomfortable. But it’s like the farther she got from the Armory, the more they hurt. She knew her skin was blistering. She could feel the rawness. 

“You’re in pain,” Isaac stated, grabbing her arm and leeching the harsh ache away. He frowned. “You’re in a lot of pain. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Don’t do that,” Erica said, mirroring Isaac’s actions and grabbing her other arm. The black lines looked like dark, miniature lightning strikes. “Don’t downplay this. We’re  _ pack _ . We’re supposed to help each other, dumbass.”

Stella felt instant relief. Not just from the ebbing away of her pain, but because of Erica’s words. It always warmed her inside whenever her friends openly called her pack. She knew it was a special privilege that no one else had managed to get. 

“I know. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to worry you.”

“Well, now we’re  _ really _ worried,” Isaac said seriously, though the edges of his mouth were turned up in an almost smile. 

“Speaking of injuries, we need to get that bullet out.” Erica dropped Stella’s hand and pulled Isaac away, marching him over to a nearby tree stump. He sat down, and she used her claw to cut open his shirt just enough to reveal his shoulder. The bullet he was shot with was filled with wolfsbane, to no one’s surprise. The sickening purple lines radiated out a couple of inches from the wound. “This is going to suck,” Erica warned him, with a grimace on her face. “Sorry in advance.”

“It’s okay.”

Erica claw tipped index finger and thumb dug into his shoulder, making more blood dribble out. She closed her claws around the bullet, and ever so slowly eased it out of his body. It fell to the ground, hitting a rock with a soft  _ clang _ . Stella had Erica cut off the bottom of her oversized shirt, before tying it around the wound as best as she could. The wolfsbane would work itself out soon enough, but in the meantime Isaac would be weakened. 

Erica wiped her bloody fingers on her baggy pants, leaving red streaks behind. The three of them startled at the sound of thunder rolling in the distance. The skies were cloudy and gray and foreboding. 

“Is this you?” Erica asked Stella. 

“Nope. Just good old Mother Nature.”

“Mother Nature can kiss my-” 

An arrow whizzed by Erica’s head, cutting off her sentence. It lodged itself in a tree and exploded. The flash was bright enough to temporarily blind  _ Stella _ , so she knew it was so much worse for the wolves, who were hiding their eyes behind their arms, while slashing blindly through the air, at an enemy they couldn’t see. Another arrow, this time a normal one, flew past them. It grazed Erica’s shoulder. Stella, whose eyes were a little more adjusted, grabbed her friends by the arms and led them through the dense wall of trees, narrowly avoiding another arrow. 

“Ah!” Erica screamed out in pain. Stella turned around to see an arrow lodged in the side of her right leg. She reached down and snapped it off. While the arrow was still inside her, at least she could keep moving. Two more arrows glided by, making a zipping  _ whoosh _ noise beside their heads. Whoever was shooting at them was gaining on them. 

Up ahead, there was a small cave. Not nearly the size of a bear den, but large enough to hide in. She led her friends over to the mouth of the cave, shoving them through. Erica laid down clutching her leg. Isaac, eyes still watering from the flashbang, mouthed, “What now?”

Stella’s heart was racing. What indeed. They were essentially trapped. There was no telling how many hunters had followed them here, or what kind of weapons they had. Erica couldn’t move fast enough to outrun them now. Isaac, while his eyesight was improving, was still healing from his earlier wolfsbane poisoning. And the burning sensation across her skin had come back full force. 

They had to split up. Together, they were sitting ducks, just waiting to be captured or killed. The idea was a heavy pit in her stomach. She may not have seen many movies in her life, but even she knew that splitting up was never a good decision. But it was the only one they could make. 

“I’ll make a run for it that way,” she said, pointing to her left. “Isaac, you’ll go to the right. Erica will go with Isaac just long enough for them to see both of you, then I want you to circle back here and wait until we get help. 

“No way.” 

“Erica, you have to. Once they see you run with Isaac, and me going the other way, they’ll have no reason to search here. By the time you make it back here, they’ll be long gone chasing us.” Stella pointed her finger between herself and Isaac. 

“I can fight!” Erica whisper argued. 

“I know you can fight, but you can’t run. And right now, what we have to do is run.” 

“She’s right,” Isaac agreed. “They’ll kill you before you can get close enough to them to take them out.”

Erica looked like she wanted to argue, but knew she didn’t have a case. “Fine,” she sulked, folding her arms. 

“Thank you,” Stella said meaningfully, squeezing her friend’s shoulder. She knew how hard not having control was for Erica. Her friends weren’t any happier about splitting up than she was. They were all concerned for each other. 

“I’ll go first,” Stella said, edging her way to the mouth of the cave before peeking out. She didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. 

“I can hear them circling the area,” Isaac said. “But they aren’t that close. You should go now.”

Stella nodded, taking one last glance out of the cave before taking off. At first, it seemed like the hunters hadn’t seen her. Then a gunshot rang out. She wasn’t sure where the bullet hit, not that it really mattered, as long as it didn’t hit  _ her _ . Running was never her strength, and she didn’t have much experience at it, what with being cooped up most days. Still, she found some satisfaction at knowing she could still outrun the hunters. She could hear them shouting in the distance, some voices were closer than others. She could make out the word ‘werewolf,’ and knew that Isaac and Erica had made a run for it. Stella hoped Erica would go with the plan. 

Another shot rang out, sounding closer this time. The burning was hard to ignore, and she was so exhausted. Stella wanted her pack to be okay. She wanted to see her dad again, to hug him and tell him she loved him. Tell him that she never stopped loving him. She wanted to meet Derek in the flesh, to see what he was like outside of his wolf form. For a brief moment, she closed her eyes and wished that somebody would  _ help _ them. 

The truck and SUV had crashed into each other so hard, that it looked like they were melded into one. The other SUV half a mile back wasn’t in great condition either. Two men were dead on arrival, the other two were rushed to the hospital. One had been slashed open. If John didn’t know any better, he’d say it was an animal attack. He thought about asking Parrish to call Alpha Hale, to see if it was someone in their pack, but he didn’t want to offend his favorite deputy by insinuating that someone in his pack was capable of such a crime. 

“See, Sheriff. I told you! Damn hooligans.” When they went to get Mr. Hampstead’s statement, the old man insisted on coming along. He walked with a cane, had only a handful of teeth left, and he had more hair on his eyebrows than on his head. 

“Yes, Jefferson. You told me.” The strange thing was, there were no bodies in or around the truck. With a crash like that, he doubted they’d be able to walk away, unless they were supernaturals of some sort. 

Hampstead was talking Jordan’s ear off, preaching about how kids these days were going to destroy the economy, how they were all thugs and criminals, and how they were going to bring on Armageddon. Parrish, who was the kindest, most patient man John had ever met, was even starting to look irritated at the man. John swore he could see Parrish’s eye twitch. He rolled his eyes, and walked over to rescue his young deputy, when the echo of a shot rang out. 

“Did you hear that?” Sheriff Stilinski asked Deputy Parrish. Both men pulled their guns free. 

“Yes, sir. Definitely gunshots.”

“It’s them damn hooligans,” Hampstead whispered, eyes wide. He was hunching behind Parrish, and brandishing his cane like a weapon. 

Jordan and John had twin looks of dumbfoundedness. 

“Mr. Hampstead, I’m going to need you to stay here,” Sheriff Stilinski ordered. 

“But-”

“We need your help, sir. We need you to watch this crime scene. Make sure nobody comes and tampers with evidence,” Parrish said, with as much sincerity as he could possibly fake. John was impressed. 

Hampstead nodded resolutely. “Don’t worry, Deputy. I ain’t letting no degenerates around here.”

“Thank you for your cooperation, sir.” 

“Nice,” John complimented, once Parrish joined him.

“Thank you, sir. Do you think I deserve a raise?”

John snorted. “Nice try, son. I’ve been trying to get a raise for years.”

“Worth a shot,” said Parrish. Another shot rang out, and both men changed their course to follow them. “What do you think they were shooting at?”

“Not sure. But it’s not hunting season,” Sheriff Stilinski answered, as they continued to trek through the woods.

  
  
  


Derek hadn’t calmed down at all. Even when shifted, he was antsy. He would circle the perimeter compulsively, and would pace. He never settled down, never hunted, or napped. Talia was officially worried about her son. This wasn’t normal for Derek. Her son wasn’t usually high strung, and shifting had always soothed him before. Apparently, feeling her brother’s continued distress made Laura feel like she should call into work. The hospital could survive one day without her. 

Laura and Peter had joined Derek and Talia a while ago. Eventually, Laura’s Aunt Sally, her Uncle Rick, and a few of her cousins had joined as well. Being surrounded by pack members seemed to calm Derek a bit, but he was still alert. Laura had all but laid on him so he would stay still. Things seemed to be okay, until the gunshots happened. 

They all perked up at the sound, some even growling at the threat they couldn’t see. “Who could that be?” Sally asked, her long brown hair flowing in the gentle breeze. 

“I’m not sure,” Talia responded with a furrowed brow. Anyone who wanted to hunt game in the preserve had to have explicit permission from Talia herself. It was the law. She hadn’t given anyone that permission lately. 

Derek, who Laura was using as a furry pillow, stood up rigidly. His blue eyes were frantically searching the area, and his ears twitched. Then, all of a sudden, he snarled and growled, before trying to escape further into the woods. Peter, who was closest at the time, grabbed Derek around the middle, and body slammed him to the ground. “You can’t run off in the state you’re in, Derek. Especially not if there’s hunters.”

Normally, Derek would heed his uncle’s warning. Normally, Derek would wait for his alpha’s orders before acting. But Derek was not his normal self today, and instead he tore into Peter’s shoulder. Peter howled in pain as he threw Derek off of him. Before anyone could get over their surprise and act, Derek was rushing into the woods. 

“Derek!” Laura called after him. “Where are you going?”

“What is wrong with him?” Aunt Sally asked, watching as Talia took off after her son. One by one, those that wanted to shift started slipping out of their clothes, while the rest stayed in their human forms. 

“We need to split up,” Peter called, still clutching his bleeding shoulder. Laura never thought she would actually see her uncle looking  _ scared _ . Scared, and unsure, and worried. It only made her that much more anxious. Her wolf was practically begging her to shift, so she trusted her instincts and did just that. Peter, along with some of their cousins, ran after Derek and Talia. Meanwhile, Laura, Sally, Rick, and the others ran in a different direction, where they could hopefully cut Derek off. 

  
  
  


Stella leaned heavily against a tree, sap making her hand stick to it a little. Thunder and lightning roared overhead, like the skies were angry. The burning was fierce, and the breeze that would come every once in a while didn’t help ease the ache. She swallowed thickly, trying to quench her dry throat. Closing her eyes, she wished for rain, but wasn’t sure she had enough energy to make it happen. Instead, Mother Nature would have to do the work for her. Stella slid down the ravine, holding onto vines to smooth her descent. 

Laying in the soft dirt and leaves, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. It was unwise to stop, but she was so fucking  _ tired _ . A drop of water landed on her face, then another and another, and she smiled. The rain came down harder and faster, until there was a downpour. The coolness of the rain finally gave her some relief from the burning sensation, as if it were purifying her. It was the first moment of relaxation she had all day. Of course, it couldn’t last. 

“There you are.”

Stella’s eyes shot open as her heart raced. Standing at the top of the ravine was Covey. He slid clumsily down. He was unsteady on his feet, and was favoring his right ankle. He must have twisted it during the chase. 

He stood above her, his chest heaving. The rain was blending in with the sweat rings on his shirt, and the droplets sliding down his face. What little hair he had left was clinging to his forehead. “Gerard said to bring you back alive,” he rasped. “But what Gerard doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.” 

He unsheathed a large hunting knife that had what appeared to be a bone handle. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a long,  _ long _ time.” He grinned triumphantly, glee in his eyes. He twirled the knife in his hand once, before rearing his arm back and stabbing down. Watching the knife plummeting towards her like a torpedo was too much. Stella closed her eyes, bracing herself for the pain. 

But it never came. 

Instead, a big black wolf - _ her _ wolf- jumped down the ravine, launching his body at the man and taking him down. Covey’s screams pierced the silence of the night, harmonizing discordantly with the fierce growls and snarls coming from Derek. Then, as sudden as they started, the screams ceased. Covey was moving sluggishly, blood spurting out of several wounds, most notably a gaping wound on his neck. Derek’s fur was drenched, the hairs sticking together in clumps. His tongue came out to lick his chops. 

The smell of blood, warm and coppery, filled the air. It dripped from Derek’s muzzle like crimson raindrops. His head was screaming  _ rage, vengeance, mate, danger, protect, mate  _ in a never ending loop. 

Even dirty and bloody, even with his red stained teeth bared and blue eyes blazing, he was still the most beautiful thing Stella had ever seen. When those ice blue eyes focused on her, his demeanor softened. 

Tentatively, he walked towards her, as if he was afraid to get too close. He didn’t want to scare her, but not rushing immediately to her side was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. He was whimpering from the restraint. There she was, in the flesh. Exhausted and drained, muddy and wet, and no doubt injured, but she was really here.  _ Alive _ . 

Stella reached out a shaky hand towards him, and whispered his name with reverence. It was all the incentive he needed, and he bumped his head against her hand. She ran her fingers through his fur, not minding the bloodsoaked clumps. She had done this a million times over the years, but those had been in her dreams. This was reality. Stella was  _ home _ , and she had found him just as he found her. 

_ Finally _ , Derek thought.  _ Finally _ .

He nuzzled his head against hers, and huffed in her hair. Isaac and Erica did that frequently, so she was used to it, and understood that was a form of scenting. It was something a pack did. Thinking of her friends brought her back to some semblance of awareness. 

“Are my friends, okay?” Stella slurred, fighting off her exhaustion by putting her arms around his neck and holding on tightly. He nodded his head once, and she felt herself finally relax, deflating like a beach ball with a hole in it. Finally, she was truly free. Feeling completely safe knowing that Derek was guarding her, she closed her eyes and drifted off in blissful oblivion. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, boy. This was a doozy of a chapter. But I'm very proud of it, actually. Hope you guys enjoy!


	18. Chpt. 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erica meets two men, one new and one from her past. Isaac is saved by strangers who don't feel as strange as they should. Derek pledges himself to Stella.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isaac doesn't really have suicidal thoughts, but he does contemplate letting himself be killed. I wasn't sure if some people considered that kind of the same thing, so I thought I would give that warning just in case.

Erica narrowly avoided a bullet, dodging just in time for it to lodge itself in a tree instead of her skull. She couldn’t hear Stella or Isaac nearby, but could feel they were both still alive. She hoped they had found each other, and were somewhere safe. The sudden onslaught of rain had been both a blessing and a curse. The mud she was running through captured her footprints easily, making her easier to track. But the downpour made it harder for the hunters to see her, and the cool water felt good against her sweaty skin. 

Running on fumes, and hearing the hunters getting closer, Erica decided she was done with being chased. It was time for  _ her _ to do the chasing. She scaled a large, broad oak tree, using her claws to gouge into the wood so she could pull herself up. Making it up high enough to wear she was hidden by foliage, she hunched down on a branch and waited. The three hunters tailing her approached, confused at the sudden lack of footprints. 

“Where did she go?” One hunter asked, looking around him at the ground, brushing aside leaves with his foot. He was fat and bald, and Erica remembered him as a glutton. He used to eat their lunches sometimes. “The tracks just stop.”

“That means she stopped running,” hunter number two replied, a smile growing on his face. He had a black beanie on, with a black outfit and black gloves, looking like he came right out of a low budget crime movie. “She’s hiding. We’ve got her scared now.”

Erica rolled her eyes at their stupidity, and inched closer to the edge of the branch. The third hunter was silent. He was several years younger than the other two, and looked inexperienced. Erica almost felt bad for the guy. Still, it was either him or her. 

She leaped off the branch, silently falling and landing on her feet behind the young hunter. He tried to turn around, but she grabbed his gun and hit him in the face with it, before throwing it at one of the others. It hit the hunter square in the head, making him fall to the ground and lose focus. The other hunter, Baldy, turned around in surprise and aimed his gun right at her. Using the young hunter as a shield, she gripped him tightly and hid behind his back. The bullet that was meant for her went into him instead. Mustering what little strength she had left, she tossed the now prone body at the shooter. The second one, Beanie, had finally pushed himself off the ground, a line of red sliding down his face. He picked up his own gun, and she moved swiftly out of the way.

Erica planned on using the trees around her to her advantage, but didn’t get the chance when Baldy shot her from where he lay on the ground. It went into her shoulder, and she could already feel the sting of the wolfsbane. While Baldy was still trying to movie the young hunter’s corpse off of him, Beanie stood over her, his gun pointed at her face. “Gerard said we had to bring your friend back alive. He didn’t say the same for you, Blondie.”

Erica refused to close her eyes. She was terrified, and didn’t want to die, but she wasn’t going to give this asshole the satisfaction of showing him her fear. Instead, she met his gaze. If he was going to kill her, he was going to look her in the eyes as he did it. 

A shot rang out, echoing in the forest. Beanie dropped his gun and fell forward, and she rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being smushed under him.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” Parrish called, stepping forward with his gun held in front of him. He quickly surveyed the scene. There were two dead bodies, an injured young girl, and one middle aged man trying to crawl away. Sheriff Stilinski emerged from the trees, soaked to the bone, and pointed his gun at the man. 

“Ma’am? Are you okay?” Parrish asked her again. Erica nodded breathlessly, all the fight draining out of her. She wanted to lay down and sleep for an eternity, but her heart sped up when she saw the other man. 

“Mr. Stilinski?” she asked in a small voice. 

John turned towards her and squinted. It took him a minute to recognize her. She was bloody and dirty, and several years had passed since he had seen her, but he knew that tangled blonde hair. “Erica?” 

He knew it was her, but he needed it confirmed. Because if she was here, then maybe Stella was too. “Erica Reyes? Is that you?” The blonde girl nodded fervently, tears welling up in her eyes. 

“My god…” Stilinski whispered unbelievingly. He was so distracted by seeing the long lost girl, and thinking of his daughter, that he wasn’t paying attention to the man beside him. The hunter grabbed at Stilinski’s gun, but the Sheriff’s grip held firm. The two men struggled to get the upper hand, while Parrish stood in front of Erica, guarding her while also pointing his gun. He couldn’t find a clear shot, too afraid he would hit John instead. 

The criminal pulled something out of his pocked, and for a moment Parrish thought it might have been another gun, or a knife. Instead, it was a taser. He stuck it against the Sheriff’s side, who screamed out in pain. It was enough for the man to grapple the gun out of his hands. 

“Freeze!” Jordan yelled.

The hunter panicked, not from the cop with a gun pointed at him, but from the werewolf that was slowly getting to her feet behind him. He moved the gun between the two, not sure which to shoot first. The Sheriff was groaning, but using a tree to pull himself up. The man was scared and on edge, so when Parrish took another step forward, he aimed the gun and pulled the trigger, just as Parrish took his own shot. 

The man fell to the ground, screaming in pain from his chest wound. Parrish, who had been fully prepared to take a bullet, was shocked when he was tackled by the surprisingly strong teenage girl. Erica had taken the shot instead, to her outer thigh. She growled at the pain, and he saw her golden eyes shut tightly. 

Stilinski had taken his gun back and cuffed Baldy, who was now unconscious from blood loss. Jordan holstered his weapon and helped Erica to her feet. Seeing how wobbly she was, Jordan told her he would carry her. Erica, for once, didn’t argue against the help. 

“We need to call an ambulance, sir.”

“ _ You _ need to call an ambulance, Deputy.  _ I _ need to find my daughter.” He looked at Erica, who was in a daze, with desperation in his eyes. “Erica,” he said softly. “Was Stella with you? Is she here?”

The blonde girl nodded drowsily. John felt a tremendous amount of relief that his assumption was correct, but felt anxiety at the thought of his daughter being out there with people hunting her down. She was so close, but so far. 

“Deputy, call this in. Take Erica back to the squad car and get her to a hospital as quickly as you can. She’s got wolfsbane poisoning, I can tell. Leave this guy, he’ll bleed out before they get here.”

“The Hale house is closer, sir. Laura’s a doctor, she’ll have everything we need there. If these men are hunters, Talia needs to know.”

John took one look at Erica, and nodded. 

“Let me take her to the house first and I’ll come with you, sir.”

“I can’t wait.”

“How are you going to track her?” 

“I don’t know, Parrish!” The Sheriff was getting frustrated, because Jordan was right. How was he going to find her?

“North,” Erica mumbled. 

“What?”

“Went north. Isaac went northwest, she went northeast. From the cave.”

“The cave?” Jordan asked. “The mountain lion cave near the campgrounds?” It was a well known spot for police officers, forest rangers, and firefighters. They had all been called there at one point or another. Despite the threat of carnivorous animals, people still liked to bring their families to the campgrounds sometimes. 

“There’s your starting point, sir.”

John nodded. He reached out and ran his hand over Erica’s hair. “Thank you, kid. Get some rest.”

While Jordan trekked towards the Hale house, Sheriff Stilinski went in search of his little girl. 

  
  


Isaac wasn’t sure which way to go. He felt like he had been running forever, and all the trees looked the same. The weather was making it hard to track his friends, and the rolling thunder was too loud for his sensitive ears. He was disoriented, and thirsty, and tired. He was also worried about the girls. He could sense they were still alive, but Erica’s link to him was getting fainter. He desperately needed to find his packmates.

He heard the clicking noise of a compound bow being loaded. It sounded like it was coming from behind him, but when he tried to dodge it, he ended up getting shot in the stomach from his left. The wind was making it hard to tell where things were coming from. He snapped the long part of the arrow, and hissed at the sharp pain. The mud was making it hard to pick himself back up, since he kept sliding. Eventually, he got to his feet, but not before a flash bang went off right by his head. 

He couldn’t see anything. His hearing was already being manipulated by the weather, and now his sense of sight was gone, too. He could smell trees, and earth, and rain. He could smell mint and flowers. But he was having trouble smelling the hunters. He wasn’t familiar with their scents, and the water was masking it as well. He heard another  _ swish _ , and moved his hand just in time to avoid an arrow penetrating it. Isaac felt trapped, he felt helpless, he felt scared. His pack wasn’t around, he had no plan, he had no help. For the first time in years, he was alone. 

Panic seized his chest, making it hard to breath. If it hadn’t been for Stella and Erica, he would have given up by now. Maybe he should give up. Maybe it would be easier, no more pain or fear, and the girls would just have each other to worry about. Erica was strong, and Stella was smart. Isaac was always the weak link. Maybe the best thing he could do would be to just lay there and let them kill him. 

When he heard the sounds of several footsteps surrounding him from all directions, that’s exactly what he thought was about to happen. His imminent demise. Then he heard the growls. So many growls around him, and so many human screams. He still couldn’t see much, his vision was too blurry. Vaguely, he could make out the shapes of bodies moving fast all around him. Black hair, a white t-shirt, and a lot of red was all he could make out. 

A body came up behind him and grabbed him. He jerked away, slashing out blindly. “It’s okay,” a female voice. “We’re here to save you, not hurt you.” 

Another body came up beside him, this one broader. A man’s voice said, “You need to come with us. We’ll keep you safe.”

What other choice did he have but to trust these people? They weren’t human, that was for sure. That made them a little more trustworthy to him. He let them lead him away. They were half carrying him, half dragging him. In the background, he could still hear fighting. Guns were going off, voices yelling, some sounding completely human, others only partly. One loud howl rang out in the distance. A few moments later, another answered. Then another, and another. 

_ I’m here, _ the howls said.  _ I’m here. I’m safe. Let’s go home. _

As Isaac faded in and out of consciousness, he heard one last howl. A male wolf’s howl. 

_ I found her. _

Isaac smiled in relief at knowing Stella was safe, before passing out. 

  
  


Derek’s howl still resonated through the trees. I found her. It was all the other’s needed to know for now. He held her in his arms, perhaps a bit too tightly. But that’s how he knew she was real, that it wasn’t a dream. Stella was someone precious to him, and she had been stolen away. Now, she was here. In his arms, soon to be in his home, in his bed. He would watch over her, protect her, take care of her. 

They had watched each other grow. Him from an awkward teenager into a capable man. Her from an innocent child into a teenager wise beyond her years. They had comforted each other at night, even when they weren’t aware of it. They had a connection, and it was a strong one. Time and distance couldn’t erase it, couldn’t change it, couldn’t destroy it.

Most people never got second chances, he wasn’t about to waste his. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're one step closer to some long awaited emotional reunions!


	19. Chpt. 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get some Peter feels, Derek obsesses, Isaac gets taken care of, and Talia tells the Sheriff the good news.

Stella was still cold to the touch. Even though she was now out of the rain and chilly wind, and into some dry clothes, courtesy of Cora and Aunt Sally, it wasn’t enough to raise her temperature. She was so cold she was shivering. Derek had almost been beside himself with worry, afraid that he might lose her again. He was torn between wanting to crawl in beside her, and letting her have her space. Fortunately, Laura was a doctor, and someone, most likely his father, had called Deaton at some point. The two worked together well, even though Laura didn’t like or trust the man. They both understood how important she was to him. Derek paced the room restlessly, and watched Deaton like a hawk as he gently inserted the I.V. into her hand. 

He only growled a little bit. 

Afraid Deaton and Laura left, he hadn’t been able to refrain from touching her any longer. She looked so small and frail lying there in his king sized bed. The I.V was pushing fluids through her left hand, while Derek clutched her right hand between his much larger ones. The softness of her hand, the weight of it, made this whole situation that much more real. Putting her in his room, in his  _ bed _ , had helped ease some of the frantic energy his wolf was feeling. ‘ _ Having your scent on her will help,’  _ his sister had said. Derek closed his eyes, and inhaled their combined scents. The subtle sweetness of hers mixed well with the deeper, earthier smell of his own. He desperately wanted her to open her eyes and look at him, but at the same time he was terrified of all the possibilities that could happen when she woke up. She could leave and never return, or reject him, refuse to speak to him. Laura warned him against these negative thoughts, but they still circled around in his head like vultures. 

A soft knock sounded at the door, breaking him out of his downward spiral.

“Come in,” Derek whispered, knowing whoever was on the other side would hear him. Peter opened the door, wincing when it squeaked. He stood at the foot of the bed, looking down at her. 

“Did he answer?” After Stella was safely inside the house, his father had tried calling John, but hadn’t been able to reach him yet.

“No. Rob even called the station, told them it was a family emergency, but the Sheriff wasn’t in his office. We couldn’t get Jordan to answer, either.”

“Must be working a case,” Derek answered absentmindedly. 

“Hmm,” Peter hummed in agreement. He glanced at Stella with an unreadable expression on his face. “She looks like her mother.” 

“You knew her?”

“Not well. I only saw her in passing. But she had a certain presence that wasn’t easy to forget. She did a lot of good for this community. It was a loss for many people when she passed.”

“I wish I had known her then. I could’ve helped Stella get through it. If mom had just…” he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence because of the lump in his throat. Peter understood his meaning. His uncle, for better or worse, always understood everything. 

“Yes, it was wrong of her. She knows that. I suspect she’ll never forgive herself for it, knowing all the pain she inadvertently caused you.” 

“I’m sorry I attacked you,” Derek looked at Peter guiltily. 

“Don’t be,” his uncle replied, voice as hard as stone. “Never apologize for protecting those you care about.” 

Peter was referring to his own wife and son, both lost years ago due to hunters. The three of them had gone on a family vacation, but only Peter returned. Nobody, aside from his mom and dad, knew the truth about what really happened. None of them dared ask, either. The entire pack had felt the loss, had felt the breaking of the bonds. Grief surrounded Peter’s scent like a blanket for a long time after that. It still did, sometimes.

He had lost his mate and his son on the same day, much like John had lost his wife and daughter. The difference was, Derek’s mate came back. Against all odds, she had survived. Peter’s hadn’t. 

“I’m sorry for that, too.” He whispered it low enough that even Peter would have to strain to hear it. If his uncle wanted to ignore him, to pretend Derek never said anything at all, he would go along with it. Instead, Peter placed a hand on his nephew’s shoulder.

“Should I forgive her?” A part of him wanted to. His mother couldn’t have known what would happen to Stella. She genuinely was just looking out for him. He understood that, but the pain he lived with all those years was hard to shake off. 

“If Stella had truly died, then what your mother did would have been an unforgivable offense. But she’s not dead, Derek. She’s with us. Think about that, nephew.” Peter squeezed Derek’s shoulder before releasing it, and walked to the door. His hand rested on the doorknob, his back to Derek. “You should think about forgiving yourself, too. Those blue eyes, and what they represent, don’t belong on you anymore.”

Derek closed his eyes as the door shut. Peter was right, as usual. Maybe it was time to start over. His mate was here. She was safe now, with pack. He kept repeating that in his head like a mantra, until the wolf in him settled. 

  
  
  


Isaac cried out as he bit down on a washcloth, his fangs tearing into it. “It’s alright. It’s almost over.” A brunette woman, whose name was apparently Sally, spoke to him reassuringly as she held his shoulders down. “Just one more, okay?” 

Another woman with raven black hair stood over him. Small forceps dug into him, and pulled the bullet out. She quickly cleaned the wound, before pressing a bandage over it. “Okay, kid. Looks like that’s all.” She pulled her blood covered surgical gloves off, tossing them in a wastebasket she had nearby, along with several other used up medical supplies. “You did good, pup.” She ruffled his hair in a sisterly way. It was also a low key way of scenting him, which was odd considering they had just met. “What’s your name?” he asked drowsily. 

“Laura. What’s yours?” 

“Isaac.”

“It’s good to have you with us, Isaac.” As Sally set up the IV stand and placed the bags of liquids on it, Laura was working on finding a vein to stick the needle in. 

Unsure of how to respond, he asked, “Where are my friends?” 

“Stella’s upstairs being treated. She’s safe now, and so are you.”

“Erica?” 

Laura and Sally exchanged confused looks. “We haven’t found anyone else yet,” Laura replied hesitatingly. “But if she’s out there, we’ll find her. I promise, Isaac. So don’t worry, okay? Just get some rest.”

He didn’t want to rest. Not when Erica was still out there, still in danger. And he hasn’t seen Stella yet. These people seemed decent, but he didn’t know them. He couldn’t trust their word that she was safe. Isaac didn’t want to pass out in exhaustion, but his body didn’t listen.

  
  
  


“How severe is his condition?” Robert asked, handing Laura a coffee cup as she sat down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs. 

“Same as Stella mostly, aside from the gunshots and aconite poisoning. They’re both malnourished, dehydrated, exhausted. Stella had some bruises and scratches, but nothing life threatening.”

“So they should both be okay?”

“Yeah, I think so. Although, I don’t know much about the cuffs around her wrist and neck. That’s more of Deaton’s specialty than mine. Is mom still patrolling the preserve?”

“Yes, your Uncle Rick, too. Josephine, Maria, and Henry went with her.”

“Has she found any more hunters?”

“No, and I doubt she will. But you know your mother, she likes to be thorough.”

She took a sip, and stared up at the ceiling, listening for her brother. She could hear his heart beating steadily, but no movement. “He’s still sitting there, huh?”

“Yes. I suspect he’ll be there for a while.”

“I’m worried about him.” She was elated that he had finally found Stella, but ever since he brought her inside, her already quiet brother became even more withdrawn. 

“I know,” her dad came around the kitchen island and gave her a one armed hug. He leaned his head on hers, and his wavy dark hair tickled her cheek. “I am, too.”

A buzzing noise went off, startling them both. Laura pulled her phone out of her pocket. A picture of Laura and Jordan popped up, along with a simple letter J. “Finally,” she sighed, answering the phone. “Jordan, you need-”

“There were hunters in the preserve,” he said frantically, cutting her off. 

She shot up out of her chair, ready to shift and help her mate. Her father, used to rambunctious werewolves by now, caught her coffee cup before she knocked it over. Jordan, seeming to sense her alarm, quickly reassured her. “I’m fine, Laura. But there was a girl, a wolf, and she needs help.” 

Gaining control of herself, but unable to change from her gold eyes, she nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “We have everything we need here. How close are you?”

“Not far, maybe a quarter of a mile out.”

“Is her name Erica, by any chance?”

“Yeah,” he replied curiously. “How did you know?”

“We have another wolf here that was with her. And Jordan...we found her. We found Stella. Well, Derek did. Bring her here, and then you need to find John.”

“He’s out here in the preserve somewhere. He knew Erica, and ran off to find Stella.”

“Mom’s out patrolling. She’ll find him.”

“Almost there. Love you.”

“I love you, too.” Laura ended the call, pocketed her phone, and took ten seconds to let herself feel all of the emotions of the day. After the time was up, she steeled herself, and got to work. 

  
  


“Stella!” John called out for the hundredth time. “Stella!” 

Would she even recognize his voice after all these years? Would she recognize  _ him _ ? He had to find her, but the preserve went on forever, and he was pretty sure he was going in circles. John was getting frustrated at his lack of progress. 

A twig snapped nearby, and he turned towards the noise, his hand resting on his gun. “Stella?” 

“John!” Talia yelled, pushing foliage out of her face. She was naked, probably having just shifted out of her wolf form. Werewolves didn’t see nudity as embarrassing or weird, but John was human, and he was definitely feeling awkward. He averted his eyes, looking at a tree branch above her head instead of her. 

“Talia, I’m glad you’re here. Jordan and I found the girl that was with my daughter when she was taken. She said Stella’s out here, and I could use your help tracking her.”

“There’s no need, John.” Talia came forward, ignoring propriety, and placed her hand on his shoulder. “We have her.” 

He felt disconnected from himself, like he was a robot short circuiting, trying to absorb what she was saying to him, but just not understanding how the words fit together. 

“John? John?” A distant voice called to him, as a hand waved in front of his face. “John?”

He came back to himself rapidly after hearing his name spoken aloud, and noticed his hands were shaking. He felt like he was coming out of his own skin. He had a sudden focus, a determination, to go to his daughter. He stared hard at Talia, who was looking concerned. 

“Take me to her.”


	20. Chpt. 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella reunites with her father and her werewolf. Laura, Cora, and Peter have a conversation.

Walking into the Hale house was like walking into a dream. John’s heart pounded and he was so lightheaded his steps were unsteady. For a brief moment, John thought back to the dozens of people he’d seen in shock over his law enforcement career. He knew if he looked in a mirror, he would see the same pale, sweaty image. Talia looped her arm through his, as she looked at him in concern. Robert met them at the door and ushered them towards the stairs. Words were being exchanged between the married couple, but John couldn’t make a single one out. He was too consumed with his own thoughts. _Could it really be her?_ _Please let it be her._

Each step he took felt like dodging landmines. One wrong step and everything would blow up in his face. If the Hales were wrong, if this wasn’t his daughter, he was sure he wouldn’t survive the overwhelming disappointment. 

  
  
  


“Derek, they’re coming.” Laura spoke gently as she put her arm around her brother’s shoulders. “We need to let him be with her.”

“He can be with her while I’m here,” Derek replied, with a hint of desperation. He  _ just _ found her, he didn’t want to leave her yet. 

“Der, it’s her  _ father _ . He should get to be alone with his daughter.” Laura all but hoisted her brother out of his chair. She tugged on his arm and led him to the door, but his eyes never wavered from Stella’s form. Laura absolutely hated being the one to separate them, but her mother had asked it of her, knowing that out of everyone in the pack, he would be most likely to listen to her. 

“It won’t be for long, okay?” Laura soothed. “Just give them some time.”

He closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. Partly because he wanted to smell their combined scent, and partly because he needed to stay calm. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew that Laura was right. Derek wasn’t the only one who thought he had lost her forever.

“Alright,” he agreed grumpily. “But I’m not happy about it.”

Laura snorted as she took in her brother’s frowning face. “No kidding.”

“And I’m standing just outside the door.”

“I’ll take it,” Laura shrugged, as she shoved her brother out of the room. The door clicked behind them just as the Sheriff reached the top of the stairs. John and Derek held each other’s gazes. 

“Is it her?” John asked, knowing that if anyone could  _ truly _ tell, it would be Derek. Unable to speak because of the lump in his throat, Derek simply nodded. A silent answer. 

Talia and Robert released their holds on him. His heart beat painfully inside his chest when he wrapped his hand around the doorknob. Before turning it, John closed his eyes and wished, prayed, hoped that it was her, that everything was going to be okay now. A part of him was terrified that it  _ would _ be her. She probably hated him for leaving her, for pushing her away when her mother became ill, and for not continuing to search for her after she disappeared. John hated himself for those things. 

He turned the knob, his gaze trained on the hardwood floors, not daring to look up yet. He needed just a few more seconds to really wrap his mind around things, to make himself believe that she had returned. He faced the door as he shut it, and rested his forehead on it as he gathered the strength to turn around. The sound of slow, steady breathing hung in the air. As scared as he was of the unknown future, he couldn’t stand the thought of being so close to his daughter and not taking the opportunity to hold her every second he could. 

John pivoted on his heel and faced the bed, where a young teenage girl with dark hair and fair skin laid. Where  _ Stella _ laid. 

He clasped his hand over his mouth to fight back a sob. It was her. She looked like her old self, but more grown up. Her features resembled her mother’s so much more now. Even though her bottom lip was split, and she had a scrape on one of her cheeks, her features were still soft. Angelic. 

His body moved on autopilot as he rounded the bed, and gently sat down on it, being careful not to disturb her. He wasn’t sure what condition she was in physically. What parts of her he could see were covered in bruises and scrapes. There were rings around her neck and her wrist, and it almost made him sick to see them, knowing that whoever took Stella had treated her like an animal. John’s trembling hand reached out hesitantly to brush some of her hair away from her face, before tucking it behind her ear. 

“Stella,” he whispered with reverence. “Honey, can you hear me?”

Her face scrunched up, but she remained asleep. But John had to see her, ahd to look into those eyes that have haunted his dreams almost nightly since her disappearance. More than anything, he needed to apologize for everything that he had done, and for everything he  _ hadn’t _ done. 

“Stella, wake up.” His plea was raspy as emotion strained his ability to speak. He cleared his throat. “Wake up.”

Stella’s head turned on the pillow, and her fingers twitched as she stirred to consciousness. Her eyelashes fluttered against her cheek and she blearily opened her eyes. Their eyes connected. For a moment, all of this could have been a dream. 

“Dad?” she asked in a small voice, suddenly wide awake. “Daddy?”

He stroked her hair and almost weeped when he saw the desperate hope in her eyes. John nodded fervently. “Yeah, honey. It’s me.”

She carefully sat up, and her trembling hand covered the Sheriff's badge that he wore. “You were a deputy,” she whispered. “When I….in all my dreams, you were still a deputy. But you’re the Sheriff now? Which means this isn’t a dream?” 

John laughed through his tears. “No, Stella. This isn’t a dream. I’m real. I’m real.”

The short pause shot a streak of fear through John. Maybe she wasn’t happy that he was here? That was until she shot up like a bolt and flung her arms around his neck, immediately bursting into tears. 

“It’s me. I’m here. Everything’s okay now.” He kept repeating those words like a mantra, but they did little to calm her down. He stroked the back of her head and bit his lip to hold back his own cries. 

“I’m so sorry, dad,” she whispered as the tears spilled over and ran down her flushed cheeks. “I’m  _ so _ sorry I ran away. It’s all my fault,” she said brokenly.

Her dad tightened his arms around her, rubbing her back in soothing circles as she sobbed against his shoulder. His throat was so thick it was painful to swallow. “None of this is your fault, kid.” 

“But it is,” she sniffled, drawing back. Her brown eyes were watery. She looked like she was falling apart. “It was my idea to run away. If I had just stayed at the hospital with you, none of this would have happened. Erica would never have been involved, and we would’ve never been taken.” Stella was sobbing so hard she was barely able to speak, and John struggled to parse through the words. “Mom  _ died _ , and I wasn’t there for you. I just made everything worse.”

The pain and devastation on her face made John’s chest ache something fierce. All these years, he had blamed himself for what happened. If he had paid more attention to Stella, if he had realized he wasn’t the only one finding it difficult to deal with Claudia’s illness, then his daughter never would have felt the need to run away. If he hadn’t given up on her so quickly, he might’ve found her years ago. As it turns out, this whole time Stella had been living with similar guilt. 

John’s eyes were so watery that his vision was blurred. He quickly rubbed the wetness away before they could become fallen tears. 

“You probably hate me,” whispered Stella, with her head down. She ran the oversized shirt sleeve over her face, on side at a time. 

He grasped Stella’s face in his hands. Her bottom lip quivered, a clear sign that she was barely containing herself. “You listen to me, kid. There is nothing you can do or say that will ever make me stop loving you.  _ Nothing _ . I don’t want that thought to ever cross your mind again.” He released her face and scooted over, pulling her to him so she was practically sitting on his lap, just like she used to do when she was little. “Never doubt how much I love you, Stella.”

“I’ve missed you so much, dad.” Her crying intensified until she was unable to speak. Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was red from rubbing it. Unable to maintain his composure any longer, John let out a sob of his own.

“I’ve missed you, too. More than you’ll ever know.”

Time passed as father and daughter sat on the bed. Neither spoke because words were no longer needed. After a while, Stella had to lay down. She was exhausted after the emotional rollercoaster they had just been on, and was still tired from the two remaining magical binders. John tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead as her eyes drooped closed. It was exactly what he used to do, and for a moment he closed his eyes and let himself believe that no time had passed, and that she was still ten years old and lying in her bed at home. It made him smile. 

Opening his eyes, he looked down at his daughter as she was now. Their situation wasn’t ideal, and a lot of things had changed in both their lives, but she was  _ here _ . After years of believing he would never see her again, he wasn’t about to take that for granted. He loved her just as she was. 

  
  


“Has he really been playing guard dog this whole time?” Cora asked.

“Yep,” replied Laura, as she turned a page in her magazine. 

Cora shook her head and gave a heavy sigh of the long suffering. “Unbelievable. Tell me he’s at least giving them some privacy.”

“He said he wouldn’t eavesdrop. He understands that Stella needs to spend some time with her father. Derek just needs to be near her.”

“Still. It’s a little creepy. You know, like, stalkerish?”

Laura peered over her magazine to look at her little sister. “When you find your mate, then you’ll understand.”

“Ugh, you sound like mom.” Though Cora’s voice still held an edge to it, she was at least making an effort to steer the conversation along. “How about those two new wolves that came with her?”

“Jordan said the girl’s name is Erica Reyes. She was the one that had been taken with Stella. The boy’s name is Isaac Lahey. I don’t really know his story, though.”

“I don’t trust them.” 

“That’s because you don’t know them.”

“ _ No _ , it’s because they smell weird. And I don’t like the idea of another pack on our territory.”

“They’re two werewolves, Cor. Chill.”

“Two werewolves and a  _ spark _ ,” the auburn haired girl corrected. 

Laura huffed in annoyance. “That  _ spark _ is your brother’s  _ mate _ .”

“So?” Cora replied petulantly, crossing her arms. 

“So show a little respect, niece,” Peter’s smooth voice carried down the hall. Moments later, he glided into the living room. “A mate is a gift, not a curse.”

Peter rarely brought up the subjects of mates around them. The few times he had over the years, it was either to Talia or Derek. The girls didn’t really know how to respond. Laura pretended to read her magazine, just to have something to do. Cora wasn’t sure she wanted to respond to her uncle. When Cora felt backed into a corner, or when she felt incredibly socially awkward, she tended to slink away. Which was exactly what she did, as she strode out of the room with a “Whatever,” tossed over her shoulder. 

“Well, that was easy,” Peter mused. 

“The best defense against Cora is to make her uncomfortable.” Laura licked her finger to flip another page. 

“Indeed. You realize our problems aren’t over now, right?”

“I  _ realize _ that Derek finally has the chance to be genuinely happy now. I realize that Stella being in another pack will inevitably cause friction, and I am aware that today isn’t the last we’ll see of the hunters.”

Peter smiled fondly, but his eyes were as shrewd as ever. “That, my dear Laura, is why you were chosen to be the next Hale alpha.”

Coming from anyone else, the compliment wouldn’t have that much of an effect on her. But coming from Peter, who hardly ever dished out positive remarks, it meant a lot more. 

“Thanks, uncle Peter,” she replied softly, closing her magazine. “You want to read this?” 

“Is that Cosmopolitan?”

“Of course,” replied Laura. She arched an eyebrow as if to silently tell him that the answer should be obvious. Peter snatched the magazine away from her. 

“Then you shouldn’t have to ask.”

  
  


Derek felt a little bit like a creeper since he was just sitting at Stella’s bedside and watching her sleep. Sunlight peered through the window, covering Stella like a warm blanket. When it shined on her face, it’s like she glowed within it’s light. She was by far the most beautiful person he had ever met, but maybe he was a little bit biased. 

He couldn’t help but think of all the things they could do together now. He could show her everything she’s missed out on. Derek could get to know her better, could take her on dates, could scent mark her. Stella could be in his pack, surrounded by his family. She could be one of them. 

When Stella stirred, all thoughts promptly left his head. He sat up straighter, and contemplated bolting out the door. Derek didn’t want his first real life impression to be  _ ‘don’t freak out I just like listening to the sound of you breathing.’ _

But Derek couldn’t move, had no choice but to stay rooted to the spot. Stella sat up groggily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. It took her a minute to become aware enough of her surroundings to realize that she wasn’t the only person in the room. She was expecting to see her dad. Instead, across the room sat a man that seemed so familiar to her, even though she was pretty sure she had never seen him before. Elation filled her when she realized who he was. 

“Derek?”

He smiled softly at her, and nodded. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, he didn’t know where to start. At first, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to muster up the courage to speak at all, but eventually he managed to give her a quiet, “Hi, Stella.”

“Hi,” she grinned as she sat up. Shaking her head in awe, Stella said, “I can’t believe it’s really you.”

“I’ve been telling myself the same thing about you.” He rose from his desk chair and sat down on the side of the bed, unable to be away from her any longer. Of all the things he wanted to say, he chose to tell her, “You’re finally back where you belong.”

He wanted to reach out and touch her so badly, but was afraid that if he did, he might not have the strength to let her go. Derek didn’t want to rush or overwhelm her, considering all that she had been through. Plus, he wasn’t sure his touch would be welcomed. Sure, they touched all the time in their dreams, but that was when he was a wolf, not a man. 

Stella seemed to sense his hesitance, and slid her hand across the bed to cover his. His hand was much bigger, and there were fine black hairs trailing up his arm, disappearing under his rolled up shirt sleeves. Derek radiated heat like a cozy fire on a winter’s day. It was a comforting warmth. 

Derek pulled his hand out from under hers, but never broke contact. Their hands moved until they were palm to palm, and their fingers pressed against each other for a second, before intertwining. There was a tingling sensation where their skin met, before a pale light flickered between the spaces like sunlight peeking through curtains. He could hear her heartbeat speed up just a little. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes, both of them with fond smiles on their faces. The bond between them strung tight like a string on a cello. It was strong and solid, and it just felt  _ right _ . 

All the insecurities and doubts that Derek had about their reunion faded away, like they never crossed his mind in the first place. She was  _ his _ .

Stella had never felt safer, more protected, more cherished than she did in that moment. She knew their connection was natural and true, and she felt drawn to him. He was  _ hers _ . 

A series of emotions moved through her. Stella knew that this moment was pivotal, and that wherever she went from now on, Derek would follow. They both knew, without a doubt, that everything would be okay as long as they had each other. 


	21. Chpt. 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that John and Derek have reunited with Stella, it's Erica's turn to reunite with her own family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the hiatus! I have no excuses. I will post another chapter hopefully by the end of the week to make up for it.

After their reunion took place, Derek rarely left her side. He was trying not to smother her, or overwhelm her, but he couldn’t stand not having her in his sight in fear that she would just vanish, like a cruel mirage. 

Still, he gave her enough space to where the other two betas, whose names he later found out were Erica and Isaac, could be with Stella in relative privacy. Nothing was ever entirely private in a house full of werewolves, after all. 

Deaton had come to apply a salve to her wrist and neck, to alleviate the burning sensation she still occasionally felt from time to time. Remnants of the caster’s magic, the druid had said. It numbed the areas to such a degree that she could barely feel the binders at all. 

Lingering in the hallway outside his room, he began to pace. Now that she was here, what came next? Would she stay here with them, or would she and her father move someplace far away in an effort to escape the bad memories Beacon Hills gave them? If her friends refused to join their pack, would Stella do the same? Derek had never done well with uncertainty, always too many questions and not enough answers. 

He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his mate’s heartbeat, steady and strong and  _ there _ . 

_ Stay in the present _ , he thought to himself. Stella was here now. Any other problems they would deal with as they came. 

Talia could hear her son’s footprints crossing back and forth down a hallway. She peered up at the kitchen ceiling above her, as if she had xray vision, and tried to send soothing feelings through their pack bond, though she was unsure if it would be welcome. There was a gap between Derek and herself that she wished would close back up. Once upon a time, such a gap had never existed at all.

“What’s the plan for the other two?” Robert asked, snapping Talia out of her thoughts. He looked at her in concern, which she brushed off with a smile. Robert squinted at her in suspicion. This time he gave her his patented  _ we’re going to talk about this later  _ look, before turning back to the conversation. “From my understanding, Erica was a human before, and is a wolf now. Is that correct?” He looked over to John, who nodded. “You know her parents better than we do. How do you think they’ll take it?”

John sighed and rubbed his forehead, already feeling a headache settling in. “Honestly, I’m not sure. They care about her, and I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t be over the moon to have their daughter back. But being told that werewolves are real, and that Erica is one...it’s a big hurdle to overcome.”

“That doesn’t inspire much confidence,” muttered Peter, who was lurking in the corner, arms crossed. 

John graciously decided not to shoot him. 

“They’re her parents, Talia. They deserve to know,” Robert insisted, ignoring his brother in law’s remark. 

“If we tell them and it goes poorly, it could put the pack at risk,” argued Peter. 

Talia looked at her mate, who gave her a reassuring smile. Peter glared at her and shook his head. 

Talia glanced at the picture frames on the mantle above their fireplace. Photos of her kids building sandcastles at the beach, Laura’s school pictures, Cora blowing out the candles on her cake for her eighth birthday. In the end, it really wasn’t much of a choice at all. 

“If she were one of my children,” she started. “I wouldn’t care what species she was. I would just be happy that she returned to me. We’ll take the risk.”

John nodded in understanding. “It’s decided then. I’ll call her parents to the station, and I’ll make sure you can be alone to explain things.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. After that, I’ll be taking Stella home.”

Every person in the room stiffened in silence. Whereas Talia was concerned, Robert was sympathetic. Alan stayed silent, trying to push calming vibes through the room, but ultimately staying out of the way. He knew to pick his battles, and this wasn’t one he wanted to fight, so he simply observed. Peter, on the other hand, was furious on his nephew’s behalf. 

“He just got her back,” he snarled. “You can’t just take her away again.”

John bristled at the man’s tone. Even faced with a wild eyed werewolf, he stood his ground. “I understand he wants to spend time with her, and I’m fine with that. But she’s my daughter, and she’s been gone for  _ years _ . She needs to come home.”

“She needs to stay with the  _ pack _ .”

“She needs to be with family.”

“Pack  _ is _ family.”

“She doesn’t even know you!”

“She doesn’t know  _ you _ !” Peter growled, delighting in the stricken expression on the Sheriff’s face. “You said it yourself, Stella has been gone for years. Everyone is a stranger to her, aside from Derek.”

“Peter…” Robert ventured, his hands held out placatingly. 

“It’s not happening,” John said firmly, placing his hand on the gun in the holster around his waist, which only seemed to enrage Peter more. He took slow, deliberate steps towards the Sheriff, a predator stalking it’s prey. 

“That’s enough,” Robert said, facing Peter and grasping him by the shoulders. “It’s alright.” 

“ _ Alright _ ? How is it alright that your son had his mate ripped away from him? How is it alright that when he finally gets her back, she’s taken away again? Nothing about this is alright.”

Robert, seeming to sense that Peter was beyond reason at this point, tried to negotiate. “I’m sure we can come to a compromise. We’ll figure something out.”

“You don’t understand,” Peter said, his voice breaking. Heartache leaked through the anger. “You’ve never lost a mate. You don’t know the feeling of being only half alive.”

The tension in the room was still present, though it had changed from one of animosity, to one of realization. It was rare for Peter to show his emotions, aside from anger and contempt. Not even Robert was sure what to say. 

“I do,” John whispered, meeting Peter’s blue eyed gaze. “I’ve lost my better half, too. I know what it takes to survive that. I’ve lost my child, too. Now I have her back, and I guess it’s a little selfish to want her all to myself, but I can’t help it.”

Peter seemed to deflate, as if he were too exhausted to continue bickering. “Derek may not be able to help it, either.”

“If Derek wants to sleep on our couch tonight, I won’t make a fuss, alright?” John conceded. 

Peter still looked like he wanted to argue, but he seemed to realize that that was the best offer he was going to get. “I suppose that will have to do.”

  
  
  


The ride to the station was tense and awkward. Nobody knew what to say. John looked in the rearview mirror to see the backseat, where Stella was sitting sandwiched between the other two teens. In his side mirror, John could see a black camaro following closely behind. 

They parked side by side in the parking lot, everyone exiting their vehicles at the same time. Derek’s gaze immediately zeroed in on Stella, who was already searching for him. When their eyes met, she gave him a soft, fond smile. 

“What have you told them?” Erica asked, her voice so small even the werewolves had trouble hearing her. 

“Nothing, really. Just that there was a break in your case.”

“Are they already here? I don’t smell them.”

“They came in through the back. We’ll set aside a room for you, so you can reunite in private.”

“Thank you,” Erica said gratefully.

“We’ll be here if you need anything, dear. We can answer any questions they have,” Talia spoke reassuringly.

Erica replied with a far less meaningful, “Thanks.” She strode away like a woman on a mission. 

After leading Erica into a room that was adjoined to the one her parents were in, he gave her a fatherly pat on the shoulder. “Anything you need, kiddo, just ask.”

She nodded, unable to form words. Her heart felt like it was going to pound it’s way right out of her chest. For the first time in years, Erica felt like the scared, helpless little girl she used to be. A part of her wanted so badly to see her parents, to see how time had changed their appearances. She wanted to hear their voices again, to see if those voices matched the one’s she had tried to memorize. 

A soft hand slid into hers. Erica startled, so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even hear her packmates coming in. “Hey, everything will be fine,” Stella assured her. 

“What’s if it’s not?” Erica choked out, voicing her biggest fear. Stella squeezed her hand harder. 

“No matter what, you’ll still have us. You’ll still have a family.”

Isaac flanked her other side, and slid an arm around her shoulders. She took in the scents of her packmates, drawing what comfort she could. 

“You’re stuck with us, Reyes. Sorry,” Isaac teased, giving her a fond smile. He hoped everything went well for his friend. 

Erica swallowed the lump in her throat. She nodded to herself in an effort to steel her resolve. Her friends released her, and she opened the door. 

Jill and Michael Reyes had aged gracefully, all things considered. Michael sucked in a breath upon seeing his daughter, and found he couldn’t exhale. Jill choked out a sob, covering her mouth with her hand as she stared tearily at her girl.

Erica walked toward them, each step filled with hesitation, taking in everything she could. There were more lines on her mother’s face than Erica remembered, and her father’s hair was graying. She could smell pen ink and dust in her father’s scent, and her mother had on a too strong floral perfume. She wanted to run to them and throw her arms around them. She also wanted to run away, back to the safety and security of her pack. Ignoring her instincts, she pushed forward. 

“Mommy?” Erica whispered, reaching out. Jill, unable to contain herself any more, rushed to her daughter, her heels clacking on the floor. Michael followed, and they stood wrapped in each other’s embraces for a long time. Erica had never felt so happy, so relieved, she almost believed she was dreaming. If she was, she never wanted to wake. 

While her control was good considering she had never been properly trained, sometimes strong emotions made her wolf side flare up. She didn’t realize that her eyes had turned into their vibrant gold, but she did feel her teeth extending into fangs. All the nervousness she felt about revealing what she was had vanished during their reunion. They still loved her, wanted her. Pulling back, she gazed lovingly at her parent’s, trusting them not to judge her. 

Jill gasped, covering her wide open mouth with her hand as she staggered back. Michael stood, eyes wide with confusion and shock. “What…” he stuttered, unable to comprehend what he was seeing with his own eyes. 

The relief Erica had felt was starting to slip away. “Something happened while I was gone,” she tried to explain. “It’s going to be hard for you to believe, but I’m a werewolf now.”

“A werewolf?” echoes Michael, his eyes still wide with disbelief. 

Erica was quick to assure them. “But it’s okay! I have control, and I don’t even have seizures anymore. Isn’t that great?” She looked to her mother, who had tears sliding down her cheeks as she looked her daughter up and down as if seeing her for the first time. 

“Isn’t that great, mom?” She reached out for her mother, desperate for reassurance. 

Jill scurried back and spat out, “Don’t touch me!”

Erica flinched as her heart broke. She looked to her father. “Dad? Dad, it’s okay. I’m still me.”

Michael, seeming to break out of his stupor, also reared back out of her reach. “What did they do to you?”

“I...I wanted it. I wanted to change.”

“You did this to yourself?” Jill shrieked. She looked pale, like she was about to either pass out or throw up. 

“Didn’t you hear me? My epilepsy is  _ gone _ . I haven’t had a seizure in years. I’m all better!”

“Better,” Michael scoffed. “You’re not better. You’re a...a…” he stuttered, opening and closing his mouth as he searched for the right word. “A  _ monster _ !”

There was a ringing in Erica’s ears, drowning out all other sounds. She hated that word,  _ hated it.  _ Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides, her claws digging into her own flesh. She held onto the pain. It was the only thing that was keeping her human. 

The door busted open behind her. She could feel the breeze from it, could sense others entering the room, but was too out of it to acknowledge who it was at first. Someone grabbed her by the wrist, and drug her out of the room, away from her parents, and she let them. Voices were rising in the distance, growing ever louder even though she was moving farther away. 

The devastation hit her all at once, then. Wide and all consuming grief. She leaned against the nearest wall and slid down to her knees. Burying her face in her hands, she cried and cried until there was nothing left. Stella put her arms around her friend, wishing she could take some of her pain away. Knowing she couldn’t fix anything didn’t stop Stella from wanting to. After a while, Isaac joined them. Empathetic as always, he started to cry, too. His grief was more silent. His chest ached with sympathy for his friend. 

John turned the corner and saw the trio huddled together, ignoring the rest of the world around them. It was then that he realized Peter may have been right. This wasn’t going to be a smooth transition for any of them. Although Stella was his family, the two teens were  _ hers _ . 


	22. Chpt. 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella returns home, and meets an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I haven't updated in forever. I'm hoping to get another chapter out either today or tomorrow to make up for it. *fingers crossed*

“Oh, my god this is so good,” Isaac said, shoving another piece of cheeseburger in his mouth and licking the grease off his fingers. He and the girls were sitting in one of the interrogation rooms for privacy, with Derek hovering in the background, and he watched them through the two way mirror. It was the first thing John had heard the boy speak out loud. Every conversation he had so far was with either Stella or Erica. He seemed reluctant to talk to anyone else, and seemed especially wary of cops. 

He tried not to take it personally. John knew that the kid had been to hell and back. Every once in a while, Isaac would get a haunted and faraway look in his eyes. He knew that look well, having spent time in the army. There was no doubt the kid had PTSD to some degree, which was just another hurdle they would have to jump over in order to get the kids settled into everyday life again. 

“This won’t be easy,” Talia said, coming up behind him. “Erica’s parents didn’t take the news well at all. I tried talking some sense into them…”

“There’s no talking sense to people like that,” John said bitterly. One of his biggest annoyances was when people looked down on others just for being different. He was especially disgusted that the Reyes’ would call their _own_ _daughter_ a monster. 

Talia didn’t say anything to that, but internally she agreed. Erica’s parents essentially disowned her, more or less told the girl that they would rather her be missing or dead instead of being a werewolf. And people thought  _ their _ kind were the monsters?

“Have you found Isaac’s parents yet?”

“Still looking,” he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Hopefully when I do, they’ll take the news a little better.” 

“Let me know if there’s anything we can do to help.”

“Actually, there was something I wanted to ask, but you can always tell me to mind my own business if it’s something you can’t answer. I know supernaturals keep a lot of secrets to themselves, and I get why.”

“It’s alright,” Talia replied, though she was a little apprehensive. The Sheriff was a good man, fair and honest and hard working, and wasn’t the type of person who would use their knowledge against them. Still, supernaturals were...private compared to humans. They had to be because of politics and society norms, though she did hope that would change one day. 

“The alpha that turned them,” John nodded in their direction. “That person broke the law. Turning two minors without parental consent in a non emergency situation is against the law, and if I can track the bastard down, I can put him behind bars where he belongs.”

“It’s possible, I suppose. I can get inside their minds, maybe see what they saw when they were turned. It probably wouldn’t give me a name, but I might be able to see them.”

“How do you do that, and is it dangerous?”

“It’s not without risk,” Talia replied honestly. “I would also need them to be completely still. It’s a delicate procedure that only an alpha can do, but they don’t trust me right now. Until they do, it’s a moot point.”

John nodded in understanding. He expected as much. “Well, we’ll work on that later. For now, I think I should take Stella home.”

“You’d have to take the other two as well. They’re her pack. They need to stay together now, to comfort each other. They are more than welcome to stay with us, but I don’t think they would accept the offer.”

“Probably wouldn’t appreciate it, either. Teenagers,” John huffed. 

Talia tried to hide her smile. “Indeed.”

  
  
  


The ride home was strained and uneasy. John expected Stella to sit up front with him, but she insisted on staying sandwiched between the two teens. All three were squished together in the backseat. Derek had just stared longingly at Stella when she was getting in the car, so John had rolled his eyes and taken pity on the man by telling him to get his ass in the passenger seat. When they pulled up to the house, John looked at Stella through the rearview mirror to see her reaction, but there wasn’t much of one, so he turned the car off and they all got out. 

Pulling up to the house was like meeting a distant relative, or an old classmate you hadn’t seen in years. It was familiar, in a vague but pleasant way. The general structure seemed to be how she remembered it. The garage, the giant oak tree out front, and the porch swing were all things she could recall from her past. But things had changed, inevitably. The house had been repainted from a pale gray to a stark white. The mailbox had been replaced, and there were herbs growing in a small garden that lined the porch. Those definitely weren’t there before, because her mother had always planted colorful flowers, tulips and carnations and roses, instead. A heavy sadness came over her then. She would get to see everything, old and new, but the one thing missing was her mom, who she would never see again. Not in person at least. Stella thought she had come to terms with that years ago, but the knowledge of it was now staring back at her, and it left an ache in her chest. 

Isaac, sensing her distress, squeezed her hand and brought her back to reality. Her dad looked sad, almost remorseful, and she instantly felt guilty. That was probably not the reaction he had been hoping for. Already, she was ruining things. 

But then she looked at Derek, who looked at her like he knew exactly what she was thinking. His eyes held a fondness, and he had a soft, knowing smile on his face. Coming back here was a bittersweet moment for her, and he knew that. The ache in her chest, while still present, had lessened some. 

Erica, who had been watching her friend carefully, could vaguely remember the house, too. She remembered playing here, games of tag and hide and seek. She had a sudden flash of memory, of her and Stella pretending they were dueling at Hogwarts, using sticks as wands. It was a good memory, and not one she had thought of once during their years away. She wondered if Stella was remembering, too. 

Before she got the chance to ask her, Erica turned around and growled softly at the sound of a bike approaching. It alerted everyone else, who turned just as a boy rode his bike into their yard. He stopped so suddenly, he almost flew over the handlebars. Quickly hopping off his bike, he pulled off his helmet, and let out an incredulous, “Stella!”

His black hair was what could only be described as floppy, and his big brown eyes hadn’t blinked yet, his face open and honest. Though taller than she remembered, and with a deeper voice, she knew instantly who it was. 

“Scott?”


	23. Chpt. 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stella and Erica have a reunion with an old friend. Stella learns some unexpected news, and Derek tries not to fail at comforting her.

Images flipped through Stella’s mind like slideshows of a PowerPoint. Captured memories of the two of them playing in the sandbox, of birthday parties and movie nights and video games. Memories that she had tried to push down over the years because she thought she would never see her friend again.  _ God, he still looks the same,  _ she thought.  _ Except taller.  _

“I can’t believe it,” Scott said in awe, his eyes shiny with unshed tears. “I can’t believe you’re really here.” 

It was as if Stella was rooted to the spot, completely unable to move. Scott, however, wasted no time in launching himself at her, engulfing her in a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around him, felt the broadness in his shoulders, noticed he still smelled like he used the same shampoo, listened to the sound of his erratic breathing, and smiled. 

“It’s good to be here.”

“I bet,” he said as he pulled away. Peeking over Stella’s shoulder, he saw his stepdad standing with a soft but heartbroken expression on his face. Derek, for his part, looked a bit annoyed, with his jaw clenched tight and his arms crossed, but also looked like he didn’t want anyone to know just how annoyed he really was. He noticed the teen boy standing behind Stella was also irritated, judging by the scowl he was sending Scott’s way. Feeling awkward, he looked away and caught sight of the blonde girl nearby. It took him a minute to recognize who it was. 

“Erica?” 

“Hey, Scott. Long time no see.”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “No kidding. I’m glad you’re back.” 

He hugged her, albeit not as enthusiastically as he had Stella. Erica felt incredibly uncomfortable with the affection, which Scott seemed to sense, so they separated. She thought it was so weird being in this situation, reuniting with Scott again after all these years. He was so different from her memories, but also very much the same. 

Scott’s used to be Erica’s friend as well. They had met through Stella, and tolerated each other because of their mutual friend. But she can remember the day she actually came to  _ like _ Scott. A memory of vivid clarity, as if it had happened yesterday. She was on the playground, being bullied by kids bigger and meaner than herself, being pushed around and called names. They made fun of her seizures, of her frizzy hair, of her scrawny arms and legs. Anything they could use to embarrass her, and they had swarmed around her like vultures. But then, a boy barely bigger than she was came forward, like a knight in shining armor from one of the fairytales her mom used to read to her when she was laying in a hospital bed. Scott told them to leave her alone, even went as far as to push one of the bigger kids. He must’ve known he wouldn’t stand a chance against them, and yet he did it anyway, simply because she needed help. They ended up in a fight, which resulted in Scott having an asthma attack, before a teacher finally noticed what was happening and stepped in. From that day on, Scott and Erica weren’t just Stella’s friends, they were each other’s friend, too. 

“Why do we all go inside?” John suggested, startling Erica out of her thoughts. “Looks like it’s going to rain soon.” 

As if on cue, a roll of thunder sounded in the background. It was almost seven, so nighttime was already approaching, but the electric feeling in the air and the gray clouds hovering above them and darkening the sky were signs of an impending storm. 

Truthfully, Stella wasn’t sure she wanted to go in, but allowed her father to guide her to the door nonetheless. There wasn’t much that she could recall about the interior of her home, but there was still a feeling of  _ wrongness _ upon entering it. Swallowing through the tightness in her throat, she slowly walked around the entryway and the living room, taking note of the little things. The beige walls, the scratchy looking throw pillows, the fireplace that looks like it hadn’t been lit in years. Her hands shook as she ran her fingers over the spare set of keys in the handmade dish by the door. The pictures on the walls and fireplace mantle were of her mom and dad and herself, as expected. But there was also pictures of Scott and his mom, which she found strange. Then she started putting things together. The extra set of keys belonged to someone else, someone not her father. The xbox hooked up to the tv was definitely not her dad’s, nor were the floral curtains or the half completed puzzle lying on the coffee table. 

The ache in her chest from earlier came back with a vengeance. 

“Honey,” her dad ventured, looking guilty. “There's something we should talk about.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Stella asked, barely able to get the words out. She was unable to get over the feeling of betrayal, and it resonated through her voice, causing John to flinch. 

Scott, who up until that point had respectfully kept his distance while Stella explored, stared at the Sheriff in confusion. “Wait, you haven’t told her?”

“I wasn’t sure how,” he answered honestly. “You’ve been through so much, and I guess I was just waiting for the right time. I’m sorry, kid. I should have told you sooner.”

Stella nodded, unwilling to pick a fight with the dad that she had just gotten back. Clearing her throat, she asked, “So, Scott and Melissa live here now? Are you...married?”

“Yes. We got married two years ago, in the spring. I’m sorry, I know how hard this must be.”

“No,” she shook her head, refusing to cry in a room full of people. “Don’t be sorry. It was bound to happen sometime. I’m glad you weren’t alone this whole time.”

“I never stopped thinking about you,” John added, almost pleadingly. It was obvious how uncomfortable he was, how guilty he felt, how badly he wanted her to understand that she was never replaced. 

“I know, dad. Same here,” Stella smiled wanly. John was about to speak again, no doubt to deliver more apologies, but she couldn’t bear to hear anymore. Hesitantly, she asked, “Can I see my room? Unless...it’s Scott’s room now?” 

“No,” John said vehemently, already guiding her towards the stairs. “It’s still your room. Always will be.”

“Dad, could I go by myself? I just...need a minute to process.”

Hearing her say that felt like a slap to the face for John, but he agreed anyway. As she passed by, Isaac rubbed his hand over her hair and Erica nudged her head against Stella’s shoulder. It was their way of saying  _ We’re here for you _ , without actually saying it. Scott stood in the background giving her an awkward thumbs up, while Derek gazed at her the way he always did, like she was the moon that he howled to. 

It gave her the strength to keep going. 

  
  


Walking into her room after seven years was like going through a time machine. The lavender walls, the sheer curtains, the ascending pencil marks on the wall where her mom measured her height every year, they were all the same as they were before. She walked over to her bookshelf, and ran her finger along the spines of the books there. _A Wrinkle In Time,_ the entire _Goosebumps_ series _, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,_ all glimpses into her childhood. The stuffed animals on her bed-a raccoon, a seal, a wolf- each had their place. She reverently picked up the gray wolf and ran her fingers through the soft fake fur, before squeezing it tightly to her chest. Even back then, she must’ve known there was a connection to be made. 

Her dad was right, nothing had changed. There wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere, not on the window, the bookshelf, or the desk. There were no cobwebs in the corners, no musty smell. Her bed was still unmade, blankets haphazardly tossed to the side like she had just slipped out of it that morning. 

Her heart broke for her father. How many times had he come in here to grieve over the years? How many nights had he spent sitting on this bed, surrounded by both good and bad memories? Did he stay in here to feel closer to her?

It was like a shrine, or a crypt. It was as if he was desperate to preserve every piece of her that he could. 

All the moments of doubt that she had over the years, the thoughts of being forgotten, or replaced, they were all unwarranted. Her dad never stopped missing her, never stopped thinking about her. He got remarried, gained a stepson, was promoted to a higher position at work, he had moved on in every aspect of his life. Except the parts of her that remained. This bedroom,  _ her _ bedroom, was proof that her dad couldn’t, or  _ wouldn’t _ , move on from her. 

It was then that she sank to the floor, still clutching the stuffed wolf, and cried. 

  
  


The Sheriff, knowing how much werewolves ate, decided that pizza was the best choice for dinner. He offered to call it in as an excuse to step away for a bit. Scott, after attempting and failing at small talk with Erica and Isaac, followed his stepdad into the kitchen. That left the three of them standing there. Erica glared at Derek, Derek glared back, and Isaac kept bouncing his gaze back and forth between the two, like he was trying to decide who would be the first to pounce. 

The second Stella’s first sob left her mouth, all three were bounding up the stairs. Derek, more familiar with the layout of the house, managed to reach her room first. Erica snatched the bottom of his shirt and pulled him back. She stood in front of Stella’s door, arms crossed, effectively blocking the path to his mate. 

He growled in warning at the other beta. “She needs me,” he managed to get out, with a slight lisp due to his elongated fangs. 

“What makes you think she wants you there?” Erica spat out. “ _ We’re _ her pack. She needs  _ us _ .”

Derek thought about arguing, about reminding this petulant girl who Stella was to him. How important she was, how vital. He thought about throwing the blonde through the nearest wall, or roaring at her until she backed down. He felt defensive, and wanted to snap his teeth at her. She was another wolf in his pack’s territory, who was basically  _ challenging _ him over Stella. His eyes flashed and he snarled, but to her credit Erica didn’t back down, though the scent of fear spiked up. Her own eyes lit up and she snarled back. 

“Stop it, both of you!” Isaac growled out, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. It startled Derek a bit, not even being aware of this other wolf sneaking up on him. “Stella doesn’t need this animosity between you two.”

“Isaac,” Erica ground out, still partially shifted and fully prepared to argue her case. 

“No,” he interrupted. “This isn’t about you. Or you,” he turned his baleful gaze on Derek. “This is about  _ her _ . So, put away your egos.”

After being properly chastised, they both begrudgingly settled down. Derek breathed deeply and exhaled, trying to let some of the tension bleed out of his body. He tried to look at him from their point of view. “You’re right,” he admitted, startling both Isaac and Erica. 

“I...am?” Isaac appeared confused, his brow furrowed. Clearing his throat, he said with more confidence, “I mean, yes, I am.”

Derek turned to Erica, who was still emanating annoyance. “This is about Stella. Whatever problem you have with me, we can hash it out later.” She opened her mouth to retort, but he cut her off. He was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say. 

“I know you care about her, I know you’re her pack. I  _ understand _ that, and I respect it. I’m glad she had the two of you by her side all these years. But I care about her, too. She’s  _ my _ pack, too. I’m sure you’ve comforted her a lot over the years, but it’s my turn this time. I need to be with her now.” Derek glanced between the two. It felt like begging, which the wolf side of him did not like one bit.

Isaac seemed to understand, at least a little, what he was trying to say. The boy just gave him a silent nod. It wasn’t exactly encouraging, but it was enough to make him breathe a little easier. Looking at Erica, he could see the irritation ebbing away, and being replaced by reluctant acceptance. 

“Please,” he implored her, because he felt like it needed to be said. 

Erica huffed and rolled her eyes, muttering out, “Fine,” before stepping out of his way. 

“Thank you.” And he meant it. It can’t be easy for the two teens, coming into a new territory and having freedom that they hadn’t had in years, or being around another pack after it’s been just the three of them for so long. Honestly, Derek was impressed. He knew he would have to make more of an effort with the two betas to get them to like him, though. 

He considered knocking, because it was the polite thing to do, but he grew up with a house of werewolves who had no boundaries, so barging in was what he was used to. Deciding to go with what was familiar, he opened the door and steeled himself against the overwhelming smells of grief and guilt and sadness. Derek shut the door behind him, and slid down the wall next to Stella, who barely seemed to notice his presence. Her head was resting on her arms, which were wrapped around her knees. 

Derek had never been good at comforting people. He was too quiet, never knew what to say, was uncomfortable in situations that required a big show of emotions. His mother was the alpha, a calming presence even in the worst of times. Laura, who was a doctor, had a great bedside manner and loved to socialize. Not for the first time, he wished he was more like them. 

What he lacked in communication, he made up for with his actions. Words were hard sometimes, but the physical aspect of comfort? That he could do. Encircling Stella in his arms, he nosed at her hair and gave a quiet whine that usually could only be produced when he was in wolf form. Their position probably looked uncomfortable, but it felt right. A few minutes passed, and she loosened up. 

Stella wiped at her red and puffy eyes, feeling embarrassed for falling apart, especially in front of Derek, who was her….wolf? Friend? Boyfriend? She wasn’t sure how that worked, and was too exhausted to figure it out. After stretching her legs out in front of her, she rested her head on Derek’s shoulder. 

“It’s been a long day,” she whispered. 

“Yeah. You can stay up here, though. For the rest of the night, if you want.”

“I know, but I shouldn’t. Erica and Isaac need me, and I need them. They’re probably standing outside the door right now.”

Derek huffed in amusement. “They are.”

They sat in peaceful silence for a while, the only sound was an occasional sniffle from Stella. “It’s so weird how nothing’s changed in here, when everything else has.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about your dad and Melissa. I didn’t think it was my place. I figured John would want to tell you.”

“It’s okay. I get it. I wish he had told me sooner.” Stella peered up at Derek, and reluctantly asked, “Is it terrible of me to wish that he hadn’t remarried?”

“No. Before you were taken, you had just lost your mom. It makes sense that you would miss her presence now that you’re back home.”

“I know Melissa isn’t trying to take her place. I like Melissa, and Scott. It’s just...all of it seems so bizarre and unreal right now.”

“It probably will for a while,” Derek said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Change isn’t easy, but it’s harder for some more than most. Myself included.”

Stella smiled sweetly. “I don’t know, you seem to be adjusting pretty well.”

“I wasn’t before,” he replied seriously. “I grieved after losing you, just like your dad did. I couldn’t tell you how many times I came in here. I’ve read every book on your bookshelf, some more than once. I’ve sat at your desk, stared out your window. Tried to imagine what it was like when you were here. What you did, what you saw.”

He looked away and swallowed thickly, feeling like he shared a little too much. The last thing he wanted was to seem like a creep. “I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“Hey,” Stella said, as she cupped his cheek and turned his face towards her. Her thumb rubbed across his beard, trying to memorize the scruffy feel of it. “You really did all that? I don’t remember you from before. I don’t know if we were friends or what, but I remember you being there for me after I was taken. I dreamt of you, night after night. I know you helped save me and my friends. We’re connected somehow, and you don’t have to tell me what all that means. Not yet, not if you’re not ready. But I know it means something big, so don’t for a second think that you make me uncomfortable. I’ve never felt safer than when I’m with you.”

If Derek were in his wolf form, he would be  _ preening _ . The relief he felt at hearing those words was indescribable. He wanted to kiss her, and could imagine himself doing it. But here, in her childhood room and so soon after her return, just wasn’t the right time. Instead, he kissed her cheek and nudged his head against hers. 

It was more than enough. 


End file.
